Saturday, January 16, 2010

Kim Addonizio, Poet Extraordinaire!






Kim Addonizio is a fantastic poet.  I love her because she was born the same year as me, yet she looks like she's ten years younger.  LOL!  You have to admire women who march to the beat of their own drummer....It's not an easy thing to do.  She also has some cool tattoos.....And, she makes a living with her poetry!!  She caught my attention with a poem in "More" magazine many years ago.  I emailed her and she emailed me back and encouraged me to write to magazine editors and suggest they put more poetry in the mags.  And I did.  The poem that introduced me to her is this one:

What Do Woman Want?
By Kim Addonizio

I want a red dress.
I want it flimsy and cheap,
I want it too tight, I want to wear it
until someone tears it off me.
I want it sleeveless and backless,
this dress, so no one has to guess
what's underneath. I want to walk down
the street past Thrifty's and the hardware store
with all those keys glittering in the window,
past Mr. and Mrs. Wong selling day-old
donuts in their café, past the Guerra brothers
slinging pigs from the truck and onto the dolly,
hoisting the slick snouts over their shoulders.
I want to walk like I'm the only
woman on earth and I can have my pick.
I want that red dress bad.
I want it to confirm
your worst fears about me,
to show you how little I care about you
or anything except what
I want. When I find it, I'll pull that garment
from its hanger like I'm choosing a body
to carry me into this world, through
the birth-cries and the love-cries too,
and I'll wear it like bones, like skin,
it'll be the goddamned
dress they bury me in.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

So I bought "The Poet's Companion" writtten by Kim Addonizio and Dorianne Laux, another favorite poet of mine.  The book is awesome, just loaded with inspiration and poetry.   Here's another favorite poem by Kim:

The Divorcee and Gin
By Kim Addonizio

I love the frosted pints you come in,
and the tall bottles with their uniformed men;
the bars where you’re poured chilled
into shallow glasses, the taste of drowned olives,
and the scrawled benches where I see you
passed impatiently from one mouth
to another, the bag twisted tight around
your neck, the hand that holds you
shaking a little from its need
which is the true source of desire, God, I love
what you do to me at night when we’re alone,
how you wait for me to take you into me
until I’m so confused with you I can’t
stand up anymore. I know you want me
helpless, each cell whimpering, and I give
you that, letting you have me just the way
you like it. And when you’re finished
you turn your face to the wall while I curl
around you again, and enter another morning
with aspirin and the useless ache
that comes from loving, too well,
those who, under the guise of pleasure,
destroy everything they touch.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Kim's books of poetry are "Lucifer at the Starlight", "Tell Me", 'What is This Thing Called Love", and "My Dreams Out in the Street".  She also co-authored this collection of writings by famous authors about tattoos (and it's an amazing book!)  "Dorothy Parker's Elbow:  Writers on Tattoos and Tattoos on Writers".  Her latest book on the craft of writing poetry is the magnificent book: "Ordinary Genius, A Guide for the Poet Within".  If you're looking for some awesome poetry, or for some advice on the craft of writing poetry, Kim will not disappoint you.

I have my 13 year old grandson, Taylor, over so I have to make pancakes, then get dressed to go to the mall with him to buy Manga books.  (He's a bookaholic like me.)  It's a cold, dreary and rainy day here in swamp country, so the mall will be a bright, happy place...well, the book store will be. 

Happy Saturday, everyone!!

Love & Blessings, 

~*~ Marion ~*~

*****************************

"Lord! when you sell a man a book you don't sell just twelve ounces of paper and ink and glue - you sell him a whole new life. Love and friendship and humour and ships at sea by night - there's all heaven and earth in a book, a real book."   ~Christopher Morley

******************************

"Books can be dangerous. The best ones should be labeled "This could change your life." ~Helen Exley

******************************

Browsing the dim back corner
Of a musty antique shop
Opened an old book of poetry
Angels flew out from the pages
I caught the whiff of a soul
The ink seemed fresh as today
Was that voices whispering?
The tree of the paper still grows.

~Pixie Foudre

****************************

"You will find poetry nowhere unless you bring some of it with you."  ~Joseph Joubert
 
 
 

18 comments:

Teri and her Stylish Adventure Cats said...

I came to your blog via Renee's blog. Love the poetry, wish Garrison Keillor read stuff like this on my way to work. And you like cats (actually your note to Renee about your cats in the boxes brought me here and so made me smile--trained circus cats!). I shall return, to learn...

Marion said...

Teri, welcome! Renee is my buddy and patron Saint and I love her like a sister. Yes, I'm a cat lady, not to be confused with a bag lady. I have 5 cats (that I'll admit to). Sophie, not in the picture, is the oldest and the Queen and would never stoop to sitting in a lowly cardboard box. She sleeps in our bed. Thanks for stopping by. Blessings!!

Angie Muresan said...

Happy Saturday back to you, Marion. Such lovely poems. Kim Addonizio is a new poet for me.

quid said...

She is really is an extraordinary poet. I remember you introducing her to me thru what I call "the red dress poem".

Have a good time with Taylor.

PS I loved the Pixie Foudre verse!

quid

Kelly said...

Yep, I also think of it as the "red dress poem", lol! I was happy to find it included in that "poem a day" book I have.

Why am I not surprised that Taylor is also a bookoholic!! Betcha MM and Warner will be, too!

Stay warm and dry! We're wet up here, too.

Marion said...

Thank you, Angie. You're going to enjoy discovering Ms. Addonizio's fabulous poetry and her novels. She's a great teacher. Blessings!

Quid, I know, I loved that verse, too! It's awesome. Me and Taylor had a blast. He got about 15 Manga books and I got two novels and some amazing beautiful blank journals for about $2 each that were $25 each. Fun, fun, fun! Then we went to Books a Million and I got Wendell Berry's new book of poems, "Leavings". I tried to put it back about five times, but it insisted that I buy it. Sigh. God, I love poetry! LOL! I'm tuckered out now, but hollering my voice out cheering for my SAINTS!!! xoxoxo Blessings!

Kelly, oh all the grands are bookaholics. Warner, who'll be 3 in March adores his books. Sarah woke up at 2 a.m. and saw a light in his bedroom. He was sitting in the closet with a flashlight and a book. She said, "Warner, what are you doing?" He said, "I'm weading, Mama!" LOL! Mary Mace is a bookaholic, too. I've sent them all zillions of books since their birth. It's cold and rainy here, still, but we're celebrating the Saints' doing good in the game (so far). Love & Blessings!!

Unspoken said...

That red dress poem will stick with me long after I leave it here!

Fireblossom said...

Good morning, Marion! :-)

I have no idea who Foudre is, but I LOVE that line about the trees still growing. Love it love it love it.

Speaking of loving it, your music player is spifftastic. I have been listening to Jason Mraz (who is jason mraz? I thought the singer was a woman!) and "Kashmir." When I was in my teens, I liked Zep, but I took another listen a couple of years ago and while I still liked the music, I found the lyrics insufferably misogynistic. Bit I still like "Kashmir" and the one that goes:

Hey lady, got the love I need/and maybe more than enough

I don't know the title. Did you know that Heart and Barbara Payton have both recorded "Kashmir"?

On to poetry: I have read that red dress poem before. Strut, girl. I had NOT read the gin poem. I loved that, too, though it is darker. Gin was my love, back in the day. (24 years sober now.) The double meaning of the poem is striking and very skillfully done!

Peace to you,

FB

Char said...

I am going to find more of her poetry right now! Love the red dress poem, such honesty in the words and the feelings are rushing off the page. Great read. Thanks
xoxo

Marion said...

I love the poem Divorcee and Gin. It grabbed me and held me tight. Thank you for posting it...I've not heard of Kim Addonizio and will look for her work.

I've sent my grands books since they were babies and both (one at 3 and one at 15)love to read. I never feel as if I'm wasting money when I buy them books; it's such a treat!

Rick said...

Marion, I loved the power in the last three lines of the first one, and the second seemed so familiar. Actually, I was thinking you two look like twins. Your buddy, ~rick (still waiting to hear about that bet)

Renee said...

I see that the mother of two teachers is also a teacher.

xoxox

Do you know the name of the artist for that angel sweet friend.

xoxox

Wine and Words said...

Love those poems. They are so straight to it, no pussy footin'. She's a skinny one, so she can flounce down the street in a red kleenex and think nothin' of it. I would be hauled to the lock up for indecent exposure! Ah well. I loved the sentiment just the same. And I do have a love hate relationship with Gin...and the pretty bottles. All the pretty bottles.

Phoenix said...

Kim Addonizio sounds like she can kick some serious ass. What a fantastic poem (the red dress one) and man, the gin one was perfect...especially the last two lines where reality sinks in, hard. Damn that girl can write!

I'm glad you put up some pictures of your lovely self so we can all comment on how happy you look :)

And I always try to carry a little bit of poetry with me...inside AND out. :)

Cynthia said...

Yes, I agree Kim is a great and
generous poet. I have The Poet's
Companion, from way back and the
book was my poetry bible for
quite a while.
Maybe she would agree to having
a dialogue to be posted on
Poemflesh2, worth a try.

Woman in a Window said...

Marion, I totally was not buying that that wasn't you. You and she do look like sisters. Are you sure that's not you?

LOVE the haircut. If you look like your momma than your momma sure is hot.

That poetry is fun!

xo
erin

Snowbrush said...

I enjoy your depth and intellectualism. Most of my followers--and the people whose blogs I follow--lack that, and I feel the lack, sometimes.

I realized rather early-on about women poets (I haven't been intimate with male ones) that perceptiveness, heartfelt language, and sensitivity, don't imply loyalty or emotional availability. Once I realized this, it prejudiced me against women poets because I had been hurt by my previous naivete. Yet, I still like some of them, especially the dead ones. Edna St. Vincent Millay is my favorite. I know several of her poems, and once had the pleasure of quoting one about the Staten Island ferry late one night on the Staten Island ferry to a woman from Madrid. She understood English poorly, but she loved the sound of my voice, and I loved everything the night contained.

"Recuerdo"


"We were very tired, we were very merry­
We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry.
It was bare and bright, and smelled like a stable­
But we looked into a fire, we leaned across a table,
We lay on a hill-top underneath the moon;
And the whistles kept blowing, and the dawn came soon.

"We were very tired, we were very merry­
We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry;
And you ate an apple, and I ate a pear,
From a dozen of each we had bought somewhere;
And the sky went wan, and the wind came cold,
And the sun rose dripping, a bucketful of gold.

"We were very tired, we were very merry,
We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry.
We hailed, "Good morrow, mother!" to a shawl-covered head,
And bought a morning paper, which neither of us read;
And she wept, "God bless you!" for the apples and pears,
And we gave her all our money but our subway fares."

Marion said...

My friends, I'm behind reading my comments, but thank you all so much for stopping by. I'm glad you all enjoyed the poetry.

Erin, you are too kind. I was having a good hair day when I took that photo. LOL! If you could see me now with my hair standing straight up and in my blue polka-dotted flannel pj's! Love to you, friend.

Snow! I'm seriously IMPRESSED that you memorized that poem (I love it, too and know only a few stanzas), but I really enjoyed your story about reciting it to the Spanish lady. I bet you stole her heart. (My husband used to steal poetry from Rod McKuen, the dirty dog...I later bought every book he wrote and *found* Ray's poems...but at least he had good taste! LOL!) You'd LOVE her bio, "Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay" by Nancy Milford. It's WILD! Thanks for sharing the poem. It's awesome, like you. Blessings and feel better soon!