The Thousand Somethings of Someone (Forrest Gander)

After writing a particularly bad bit of poetry, a teacher once told me (more or less) that you can write a bland poem, using non-specific words and images. That it was possible, but that I had only done so by half and therefore mine was shoddy, but I think he must have been referring to today's poem by Forrest Gander (who was one of the poets I saw yesterday!).

It's very title is the kind of vague nonsense I was mimicking. As is the majority of the short poem. I love that after the so-dull-it's-almost-funny title, the poem immediately goes to "Could have been / otherwise", but well kind of. It easily could have been a more specific title, but then it would not have been a good title for this type of poem.

Then it starts to be a little bit specific, in that it starts using understandable nouns. But again, the nouns he picks are so commonly nonspecific - "flowers", birds and "sunsets" - it's almost a mockery.

The last bit finally uses unusual language in unusual ways. It's shocking, almost stumbling to read.


Favorite line: "Could have been / otherwise"

Could have been otherwise