Shuffling through the ruins of poetry's wasteland
Quickly now: outside of class, what was the last poem you read?Perhaps this question has left you slack-jawed and silent; if not that, it has most likely forced you to dig a little bit deeper into your memory than if I had asked, say, "What was the last trashy paperback you read?" or "Where was the nearest bathroom your freshman year?"My point, of course, is that the reading of poetry in America as a form of entertainment has fallen into disfavor in recent years, and it is currently so rare that I have given up my search for a soul with whom to spend the early morning hours discussing John Donne's quirky brilliance, T.S.