To Think of Love as a Word ~ Probably my favorite poem in the mix, I wanted to play with that cliche statement
about love: "words can't describe..." It's ironic to me that we would use a verbal
phrase to describe the inadequacy of a verbal phrase in describing an intense
feeling of love. It's such a cop out. So much of poetry is about this
oh-too-written about (in many people's minds) topic of love. I wanted to celebrate
poetry's power in this poem, even if it is writing about much of the gasps and
pauses and speechless moments around a moment of love.
Do You Remember God? ~ In some ways, this is a poem on power. For example, can one write their own
memories? Can we look because of shyness (even if at the gazers)? Etc. It's meant
to be general enough to welcome a number of readings. It is a poem meant to
simultaneously run along several tracks.
Unseen Someone ~ The center question of this poem is who is the unseen someone? It should be read as
an exercise of fun -- is the unseen someone a lover, a lost part of the self, a
higher being? Is this person good, bad, indifferent? Is the speaker even truly
looking for this person or is the unseen someone an element of what we'd rather not
look at? Is it unseen for a reason? For this reflection, I'd rather not answer the
questions but merely pose them.
Michael T. Smith is an Assistant Professor of the Polytechnic Institute at
Purdue University, where he received his PhD in English. He teaches
cross-disciplinary courses that blend humanities with other areas. He has published
over 75 pieces (poetry and prose) in over 40 different journals. He loves to
travel.
