Cynicism or Joy: Sallinger, Hoagland and Karr

I've been reading more lately, books of course, but also magazine articles, journals, the news on the internet, in the bathroom. I must have more time on my hands, but perhaps just less anxiety in my mind. Anyway, here's an interesting reveiw in the New York Times about Tony Hoagland's poems, his new book, and his approach to cynicism and romance. This is my favorite quote:

'At his best, Hoagland rejects both the cynic’s lie that everything superficially beautiful must be rotten underneath, and the romantic’s lie that everything apparently ugly must possess some essential nobility.'

I was also reading an obit for J.D. Salinger in Rolling Stone this week, where these same themes of romanticism, cynicism, mockery, etc. were in focus. Here's what I took away:

'One reason Holden finds phonies everywhere, Salinger ever-so-quietly insinuates, is that he's unable to find pleasure anywhere.'

Wow - that stopped me cold. That a cynic might be a person who has given up on pleasure?

And what about this, which I found in the bowels of Mary Karr's Lit, when she's discussing the differences between happiness and joy:

'Never have I felt such blazing focus for another living creature. I can't stop looking at him. Joy, it is, which I've never known before, only pleasure or excitement. Joy is a different thing, because its focus exists outside the self--delight in something external, not satisfaction of some inner craving.'


Karr is talking about the moments after giving birth to her son. I remember that feeling. I also know something about self loathing, self importance, self pity, giving up on romanticism, fear of cynics, and a lot of other stuff. Today, Bob bought me flowers, beautiful pink blooming cyclamen from the Farmers' Market. There was a day when I would have felt gyped because they weren't cut flowers, what a real romantic husband would give his wife, but today I felt joy joy joy -- unexpected and welcome. And now I have to wash his underwear while he pays the bills. Joy joy joy.

Silicon Valley Poet Laureate?

Who knew? I live here, and I didn't know.

Nils Peterson is the grand old poet of San Jose, that's true, but I'm not sure his old orchard slow poems are representative of the nasty snatch and squeal I think of when I think of Silicon Valley. Still, who am I to tell?

Poetry Center San Jose has a good range of information on him and his work.

A very cool thing he is doing is having a contest of 13-syllable poetry lines, which he will assemble into a word collage. I heard him on the radio describing how this is like an elegy -- interesting poetic form to use for a up-and-coming valley. See my comment above about his old-timer's view.

Santa Clara County recently chose its first-ever poet laureate. Nils Peterson was named to the honorary post, and one of the first things he's done is to put together an unusual competition. He wants county residents to submit a single poetic line about life in the Valley. One hundred lines will be chosen for a special 'word collage.' We take a peek at some of the early submissions. [If you're a Santa Clara Valley resident, you can submit your own line of poetry. Email your 9-13 syllable line to poet.laureate@ceo.sccgov.org or by mail to Santa Clara County Poet Laureate, Office of Public Affairs, County of Santa Clara, 70 West Hedding St., 11th Floor East Wing, San Jose, CA 95110.]

A nine to thirteen syllable line? Here's mine.

With my wet laundry, I startle a doe.