One Page Poetry Circle Archive

Welcome to the One Page Poetry Circle at St. Agnes Branch Library!

Date: Tuesday, March 5
Time: 5:30 - 6:30 pm
Place: St. Agnes Branch Library, 444 Amsterdam Ave. (near 81st Street), 3rd Floor
Theme: Poetry about Food (pdf)

Find a poem! Show up! Read a poem! Discuss a poem!

We're back for the eleventh spring season of the One Page Poetry Circle where people gather to examine the works of established poets. While there's no instructor and this is not a workshop for personal writing, once a month OPPC gives everyone a place to become teachers and learners to explore the form, content, language and meaning of poetry. Since the circle began, participants have selected and discussed 1019 poems and have read countless others in pursuit of poetry that speaks to them.

At our March One Page Poetry Circle we will be feasting, not on food, but on poetry concerned with food. Food is a necessity of life, one of its greatest pleasures, and connected to many different emotions. Abigail was struck by the sadness in both of the poems below - the end of the growing season and the killing of the possibilities of birth and the dead fish, beautiful but dead, and not "happy" at all. Perhaps the memory of the season of tomatoes and the pleasure of eating fresh fish remains.

In "September Tomatoes" Karina Borowicz describes pulling up the tomato plants with yellow flowers still on them:

• It feels cruel. Something in me isn’t ready
• to let go of summer so easily. To destroy
• what I’ve carefully cultivated all these months.
• Those pale flowers might still have time to fruit.

In "A Display of Mackerel" Mark Doty was inspired to ponder the nature of individuality and collectivity after observing a dazzling counter of fish on ice at his local supermarket. The poem begins:

• They lie in parallel rows,
• on ice, head to tail,
• each a foot of luminosity

and ends:

• the rainbowed school
• and its acres of brilliant classrooms,
• in which no verb is singular,

• or every one is. How happy they seem,
• even on ice, to be together, selfless,
• which is the price of gleaming.

We're looking forward to seeing you at the March 5th One Page Poetry Circle. Whether a poem reminds you of food, or starvation, or cooking, choose a poem that has meaning to you. And if you can, come with copies for others to share. Can't locate a poem you want to bring? Browse the poetry section at the library or check out Poetry Foundation or poets.org.

In the meantime, please blog with us at onepagepoetrycircle.wordpress.com.

Spring 2019 Season
Tuesday, March 5, Poetry about Food
Tuesday, April 2, Poetry and Mystery
Tuesday, May 7, Poetry and Longing

Abigail Burnham Bloom and
AnnaLee Wilson

The One Page Poetry Circle is sponsored by the New York Public Library and is open to all. St. Agnes Branch Library is handicap accessible.