I recall that both Robert Lowell and Borges did some interesting things with
personal family histories. Borges, especially, has a tendency towards prose
in these poems (I'm thinking of "Allusion to the Death of Colonel Francisco
Borges" and "The Borges" and I think there are others). Both poets seem to
have a deep regard for history. Not as deep as Ezra's but easier to grasp on
first pass.
I agree with Doug in that I can see more to this poem, Dave. Other numbered
parts under other titles?
On Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 11:24 PM, Douglas Barbour <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
> As Marjorie Perloff pointed out, one of the things Pound did for
> poetry in the 20th century, was bring back prose information into it;
> if this is a series, Dave, then there be ways to include that info, in
> interstices, titles, etc...?
>
> Doug
> On 26-Mar-08, at 8:25 AM, David Bircumshaw wrote:
>
> > I'm not wild about the first line, it could get absorbed into an
> > eventual
> > (final) title. Perhaps. I do sometimes write "social historical"
> > poetry but
> > it's not easy to incorporate the necessity of facts within the
> > requirements
> > of poetry. Such facts tend to be lumpy and arrhythmical. Like
> > handling great
> > globs of wet sticky clay.
> >
> > best
> >
> > Dave
>
> Douglas Barbour
> [log in to unmask]
>
> http://www.ualberta.ca/~dbarbour/
>
> Latest books:
> Continuations (with Sheila E Murphy)
> http://www.uap.ualberta.ca/UAP.asp?LID=41&bookID=664
> Wednesdays'
>
> http://abovegroundpress.blogspot.com/2008/03/new-from-aboveground-press_10.html
>
> to rid me of
> the ugh in
> thought
> i spell anew
> weave the world
> out of the or
> binary
>
> bpNichol
>
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