Recently, I find myself leaning into poetry more and more. I have been using it as the “precursor” to my meditation times. It helps settle me, still my mind, and is working as the perfect bridge to 15-ish minutes of focusing on nothing but my breathing.
I love to find connections in poems… and recently I read a book of poetry from the beloved Billy Collins where he begins the book in the most incredible way. The book is The Trouble With Poetry: And Other Poems and the opening poem is You, Reader. The book is full of beautiful poems, but what Billy does with this introduction poem really is quite incredible. It is a book of poetry that is full of connections… incredible connections between writer and reader.
You, Reader
by Billy Collins
I wonder how you are going to feel
when you find out
that I wrote this instead of you.
that it was I who got up early
to sit in the kitchen
and mention with a pen
the rain-soaked windows,
the ivy wall paper,
and the goldfish circling in its bowl.
Go ahead and turn aside,
bit your lip and tear out the page,
but, listen—it was just a matter of time
before one of us happened
to notice the unlit candles
and the clock humming on the wall.
Plus, nothing happened that morning—
a song on the radio,
a car whistling along the road outside—
and I was only thinking
about the shakers of salt and pepper
that were standing side by side on a place mat.
I wondered if they had become friends
after all these years
or if they were still strangers to one another
like you and I
who manage to be known and unknown
to each other at the same time—
me at this table with a bowl of pears,
you leaning in a doorway somewhere
near some blue hydrangeas, reading this.
The Trouble With Poetry: And Other Poems © 2005 Billy Collins.
Now we all, Billy included, have this connection together and I think it is one of the best things about poetry! Please stop and see who Bonny has gathered together today!
That is it for me this week. I will see you all back here on Mond
Thanks for a really interesting poem and a great book recommendation! I often think of Billy Collins poetry as simple and easy, but there really is much more to it. I have to apologize; I completely forgot about A Gathering of Poetry so there’s no post and no linkup. I’m away all day so I’ll just have to do better next month. Sorry!
I read that volume of Billy Collins poems back in April and really enjoyed the entire book. So good to see that introductory poem again!! The connections that poetry brings are wondrous.
Billy Collins is such a gift, isn’t he? His poems always spark connections — and I love it when he makes you think he’s heading in one direction, but it turns out he was heading in another all along. XO
Oh, he really is wonderful! I need to get some of his volumes into my collection. I love this one, and I love the idea of using poetry to quiet your mind in preparation to meditate.
I love the idea of reading a poem before meditation. The poem is beautiful!