The Irish Isle

Cead Mille Failte!
(notice the demon kitty. This was the FATTEST cat i have ever seen - it was like a dogcat)

Niki and I had a little early St Paddy's day cheer last Friday. It was a long week for us both - she working on the 2nd chapter of her senior thesis, and I substitute teaching at the school. We decided to go on an adventure, and found this cute mom and pop Irish pub in Middletown.



There was a gent strummin' and singin' out some Irish tunes on the corner stage...not the loud, rip-roaring drinking songs, but stuff like Carraghfergus and Danny Boy...very ambient with a pinch of melancholy.

And, it being a friday in Lent, and being the good Catholic girls we are, we opted for the fish and chips rather than the shepherds pie or braised lamb. But it was SO friggin' good - the cod was very fresh, hand battered, and the chips were thick and golden.

So in the cozy, dimly lit room, we had an intimate conversation that sprung from the general topic of literature, meandered through feminist critics, metaphysical poetry, streamed into a mutual celebration of Donne and Hopkins, then Thoreau trickled in, and it all kinda waterfalled when we reached Emerson . . . she was shocked when i told her i was an Emerson fan! So i reasoned with her, explaining that to appreciate where a poet is coming from, to just "get him", is not the same as declaring him the greatest poet.

I think there are as many styles and as many messages to convey as there there are experiences able to be had and emotions able to be felt. And while you can judge poetry, it's not any more black and white than human emotion and experience is. Just like our human experiences, whether they be good or bad, something can be learned from them. I do believe that, like all literature, poetry should be moral. For what are men but moral beings? And why would we write other than to convey some very human message about how man has acted/is acting/ought to act? ...I suppose it is the poetic ideal to write about ideal sorts of human situations, tales of properly ordered emotions/passions, proper rewards/punishments -- as Plato recommends in the Republic, for the children to be properly disposed toward virtue, they ought to be instructed with stories in which the hero is rewared, the villain punished accordingly as they are virtuous/vicious. That is all well and good, and it should exist. But more often than not, people are not going to relate to it. you need the nitty gritty, and the real, the stuff that really touches you and grabs you. But you also need the perfection to exist as your aspiration. After all, where would we be without any ideals?

Yes, i think some poetry is really good, and yes, some sucks (like the kind Geoff likes). But so much of it has to do with the experiences you've had and what you can relate to.

So, what do you guys (i refuse to say y'all... i'm not quite there yet) think -- is there a greatest poet to date? what are your thoughts on poetry? -- about whose poetry is better than whose, or superior styles of poetry? Because i have my own thoughts and feelings on the matter, but this is just me talking...cuz 'dis is my blog and that's what i'm supposed to do here.

. . . Anyway, altogether, last Friday was SO NICE - it was refreshing to just sit and have a nice conversation with a wonderful, intelligent woman=) (this is me beaming: BEAM, BEAM!)

. . .Now if only i could find me a MAN . . .

(no offense, Nikole =)


And now, meet Babette! a local regular (is that redundant?) who came w/ her hubby and son. She was histerical! Very sweet, uber-drunk, and uber chatty. So she came over and made friends with us...


So, we'll be back for sure, it was a great place. Another reason for all you So-Calers to come out and visitate me =)