Leave the rope and chair behind and invite these poems to sit with you on a couch. And what about Dawn whose majestic beauty inspires countless odes? Collins will challenge you to take Dawn off her pedestal and appreciate her in more realistic light: in Tuesday, June 4, 1991, Dawn is barefoot and disheveled, standing outside my window…offering a handful of birdsong and a small cup of light. Meet History, described as a man with an unexpected temper in The Lesson. Take a walk with March and greet the red polka-dot umbrella of April in Pinup. It’s simply an opportunity to enjoy listening to language with no literary questions attached.Ĭollins has a knack for re-introducing familiar subjects with fresh language and a dash of humor. He piloted “Poetry 180: A Poem a Day for American High Schools.” The program calls for one poem to be read during daily announcements. Poet Laureate, is noted for his efforts to restore poetry to a modern audience. This diverse collection shows us what poetry does best: stopping readers long enough to admire (or poke fun at) the stuff life is made of.īilly Collins, 2001 U.S. Get to know his voice in Sailing Alone Around the Room, a book that features selections from four of his earlier books, plus newer poems. Whether you’re looking to read a new poet, or to move past your estranged relationship with the genre, Billy Collins is a writer you can turn to. Dare we let ourselves imagine what would happen if we stopped interrogating? In his poem, Introduction to Poetry, Collins sums up written verse as many of us are taught to approach it: … all they want to do/is tie the poem to a chair with rope/and torture a confession out of it. Do you avoid poetry because it is something you were always told to decode? If so, you may be one of many who’ve contracted FOP (fear of poetry).

Sailing alone around the room