Religion and Poetry

[Darwin]

I got to thinking that there might be some connection between my own lack of any "sense of the holy", as a Priestly friend once put it, and the fact that poetry outside of songs seldom moves me at all. On the other hand, I know that several of the fairly religious folks on C&F will whip out a poem at the drop of a hat.

The purpose of this poll is simply to see if Chiffers seem to show any kind of correlation between the two areas. It's not meant to prove anything. I'm just interested in personal experiences, not in any kind of ideological debate, which is why I've decided not to post it on the Politics forum.

(This is my first poll. Be kind.)

[emmline]

Well, I write verse, but it's not usually very meaningful. I also had trouble with the choice between Am/Am not religious. I had to pick "am" in the sense that consideration of the idea of God and whatever it might mean is important to me, but I cannot name an institutional religion into which my ideas fit.

[dubhlinn]

Darwin dear,

Where is the option "not religious, but adore poetry"?

I've never seen the connection betwixt the big R and poetry,though they both speak to the same heart.

Two different bugs...

Slan,
D.

[Darwin]

I've never seen the connection betwixt the big R and poetry,though they both speak to the same heart.

The only connection is that the attraction of either is totally mysterious to me.

[Congratulations]

I am an English major. I love poetry. I also write poetry (and will have two poems in the upcoming issue of RHP!).

I am an atheist, as well.

Poetry, in my experience, very rarely has anything to do with "holy" things, any more. Modern poetry is (often) dirty and gritty and sometimes even offensive or slightly repusive to the devoutly religious. Granted, there's Milton, but we're talking modern poetry...

I have met a lot of people that claim to "not like poetry," but really just haven't found a type of poetry they like, or a poet with whom they connect. I'd encourage you to look around a little, just to see.

[dubhlinn]

I've never seen the connection betwixt the big R and poetry,though they both speak to the same heart.

The only connection is that the attraction of either is totally mysterious to me.

The big R is tomorrow.Poetry is then.The capture of a moment at the very birth of that moment, then the moment passes..nothing is left..gone.

The poem is there.

Like a fast fingered solo on a good Martin..gone when it's over..but there when it counted.Part of a whole...one little lost but important,valid essential moment that made everything better.
That's poetry...R is something else.

Slan,
D.

[I.D.10-t]

There once was a pope from nantucket,
whose hat was shaped much like a bucket,

Na I don’t see much promise for me in religious poetry.

It may be that to be deeply religious, you need to have a more emotional nature and that nature may make the two correlate. But that is just me playing armchair psychologist.

[Cynth]

I don't read much poetry because I just can't understand it. But it seems to me it is used (at least sometimes) or written to express things that can't be expressed in another way---like music or painting, I guess. I would associate it maybe with "mystery" as in "mystery of life" but not really "holy". I think in every life, whether there is religion in it or not, there is that which cannot be understood. And in non-religious lives aren't there things that one might call "sacred"? Perhaps there is a better word. But things like vows, love, a tree---things that one would not tolerate any violation of? Or things that fill one with wonder---a flower, a cat, the stars. I'm just saying I don't think religious and non-religious people are really that different in their gut reactions to the universe. But then they do seem different in other ways. I don't know.

[dubhlinn]

Cynth,

I just adore you.

Slan,
D.

[djm]

Poetry => boring drivel
Religion => boring infantile superstitious drivel



djm

[dubhlinn]

so you confuse one with the other...smart dude like you,

Shame..serious shame upon your house.

Slan,
D.

[Jack]

Poetry => boring drivel
Religion => boring infantile superstitious drivel



djm

djm => loved by Christ

[Charlene]

I've written some poems.

I will read poetry sometimes, if I'm in the mood and have the time. It's much slower reading poetry than reading a story.

I am most definitely NOT religious.

[brewerpaul]

I'd say I'm definitely spiritual, but not hugely religious in terms of bowing down to the guy with the white beard and robes, flinging thunderbolts at nonbelievers. I get a definite feeling of "something out there" when I stand on the top of an Adirondack peak...
Because I was raised Jewish, I belong to a synagogue and take part in my religious heritage because this is the way my ancestors looked for that "something". In the process, they came up with some remarkably wise ideas (along with many that don't have much meaning for me) and I feel that preserving those concepts is well worth the effort.

Poetry largely leaves me wondering what all the fuss is about. A local NPR station often has a poetry day where people can call in and read their favorites. After each one, the moderators sigh knowingly and thank the reader and as often as not I go "huh?". Each morning as I drive to work I catch The Writers Almanac on the radio and Garrison Keillor ends up each segment with a poem. I've heard a few that resonate with me, but most also go right over my head. BTW-- one notable exception is the poetry of Glenn Schultz which I really love. I'd known Glenn for a long time, and knew where he was coming from in his writing which no doubt adds to my enjoyment of it.

On the other hand, my wife and I DID write a religious poem once. You may need some background to fully appreciate this literary work:

Troy-- I lived there at the time
Michiganer-- a joke. My then-fiancee came from Michigan, and Michiganer is a pun on mishugganah which is Yiddish for crazy
Goy-- a non Jew
Shicksa-- a non Jewish woman
Mikveh-- ritual bath, used during the Jewish conversion ceremony
kvetch-- to complain

So....

There once was a young man from Troy,
Who loved a Michiganer goy.
He said "Folks, she's a shicksa
But the Mikveh will fix her
So you needn't kvetch or say Oy!"

[Flyingcursor]

Poetry => boring drivel
Religion => boring infantile superstitious drivel



djm

djm => loved by Christ

I can't decide how to answer the part about poetry. It's like asking, do you like prose or do you like non-fiction. There's some poetry I like and some that I find mindless drivel. Just like anything else.