> And all of you out there - let's get back to basics. Why does poetry
> matter?
That most telling question, Alison, which some poets spend their entire
careers attempting to answer. My hunches gather around notions of the
vindication of the Word, a cluster of thoughts which obviously have relic
Christian drifts, but I think in terms of speech being what makes us
distinctively human, in respect of its bringing-to of self-awareness, and
even moral reflection. That's all very hazy though, but I am sure that there
are 'emptyings' of language, as in corporate or political vocabularies, that
volubly demonstrate the very reverse to that why poetry matters.
And, too, I would hazard that that almost unanswerable question's answer can
be heard in the voices of those who can barely articulate, more so I think
at times than in the relentless feuding jabber of the 'literary world'
(eek!)
Best
Dave
----- Original Message -----
From: <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, July 26, 2001 12:39 AM
Subject: Back again
> from the wilds of Frankston, where I spent time talking to people to whom
> poetry matters for reasons that in some cases they can barely articulate,
> and how nice that was!
>
> To find the fan well and truly clogged with faeces. Thanks for Matthew's
> poetry, Candice, that's what we're here for - and looking forward to the
> interview.
>
> And all of you out there - let's get back to basics. Why does poetry
> matter?
>
> Love to all
>
> Alison
>
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