An Introdution to a Poet: Billy Collins
An Introduction to a Poet: Billy Collins
Billy Collins is one of the most credited poets of this century and last. He is a man of many talents, most recognized though by his provocative and riveting poetry. As John McEnroe was to the sport of tennis, Billy Collins has done the same for the world of poetry. Collin’s rejected the old ways of poetry, created his own form, broke all the rules, and still retains the love and respect of the poet community. Collins has received the title of Poet Laureate of the United States twice and also has received countless awards and acknowledgements. He has achieved this through a style of poetry that is not over-interpreted and hard to understand to most, but that of the complete opposite, his poetry is hospitable and playful.
Many of Billy Collin’s poems concern the act of writing, be it a response to someone else’s work or a discussion of the poems themselves. His poetry is less threatening to the non poet community because his poetry is more transparent than others. His poems don’t usually have a deep underlying meaning that needs to be dwelled upon to understand, but rather simplified thought that can be understood by just reading it once. Collin’s poem After Reading Some Tales of the Hindu Gods is a prime example of this:
After Reading Some Tales of the Hindu Gods
“She looked into his mouth and saw the whole universe displayed therein beyond his oral threshold. --Bhagavata Purana
Usually, when I would lock my elbows on the bathroom sink and open my mouth wide in front of the mirror,
I would see teeth and a quivering tongue and that little glistening punching bag that hangs from the roof of the mouth.
But now, I look past all that, past the factory of mastication into the darkness of the throat where you can see universes created and destroyed, world spinning in and out of being, a cosmos blossoming then closing its petals.
I never understood why anyone would want to be a dentist until today, but back in
Billy Collins is one of the most credited poets of this century and last. He is a man of many talents, most recognized though by his provocative and riveting poetry. As John McEnroe was to the sport of tennis, Billy Collins has done the same for the world of poetry. Collin’s rejected the old ways of poetry, created his own form, broke all the rules, and still retains the love and respect of the poet community. Collins has received the title of Poet Laureate of the United States twice and also has received countless awards and acknowledgements. He has achieved this through a style of poetry that is not over-interpreted and hard to understand to most, but that of the complete opposite, his poetry is hospitable and playful.
Many of Billy Collin’s poems concern the act of writing, be it a response to someone else’s work or a discussion of the poems themselves. His poetry is less threatening to the non poet community because his poetry is more transparent than others. His poems don’t usually have a deep underlying meaning that needs to be dwelled upon to understand, but rather simplified thought that can be understood by just reading it once. Collin’s poem After Reading Some Tales of the Hindu Gods is a prime example of this:
After Reading Some Tales of the Hindu Gods
“She looked into his mouth and saw the whole universe displayed therein beyond his oral threshold. --Bhagavata Purana
Usually, when I would lock my elbows on the bathroom sink and open my mouth wide in front of the mirror,
I would see teeth and a quivering tongue and that little glistening punching bag that hangs from the roof of the mouth.
But now, I look past all that, past the factory of mastication into the darkness of the throat where you can see universes created and destroyed, world spinning in and out of being, a cosmos blossoming then closing its petals.
I never understood why anyone would want to be a dentist until today, but back in