Just trying to get up there on the search engines for "roommate poems." But stay a minute, if you're someone who came across this page typing those words in Google or Yahoo or whatever.
This has happened since I announced my upcoming chapbook on roommates, Discarded: Poems for My Apartments. It's only occurred to me recently that as far as roommate poems go, mine are really the only ones I have to go by. Sure there are plenty of apartment poems out there, but if I've read any good poems about roommates, I can't remember them. Never heard any either, and I've been to quite a few open mikes (heard a good song by a friend once in college, but that was over a decade ago). And when I go to search for any, I don't get much success.
I wonder if these types of poems are a secret in the world of letters. The kind I've written certainly don't fit the image of the poet most people have. Robert Frost never wrote anything like, "Two Roads diverged in a wood, and I--/I realized I forgot to rotate the chore wheel back home."
Still, I can't be the only one with the idea to write poems on the subject. Not with so many younger poets having to bunk with multiple people just to stay in this city alone.
To all you people searching up roommate poems: What, oh what, are you looking for? Poems that express outrage over your fellow human beings? Opportunities to submit your own penned tributes or smears? I wish all of you would leave an answer in my comments section. I am incredibly curious about your reasons, whatever they may be.
12 comments:
Keep in mind the real danger of writing about people you know-- especially if they know where you sleep. I think that would discourage many from writing roommate poems.
I faced that situation about a decade ago when I first started performing as a spoken word artist when the response from one person was: "Are you telling people about my sex life again?"
Since then, I avoided such subject matter.
Your little story just begs the question..."Were you?"
Only in the most oblique manner. It was actually a complaint addressed to a condom manufacturer. I think I dropped it from my repertoire sometime back in 2000.
If the cap fits ...
- Bret
Hey, Bret. How's Corrie and the kid?
You'll be happy (or bummed) to know you make no appearances in this upcoming collection. My college world remains as hidden and obscure as my college writing.
It has occurred to me that I am not nearly so vulgar on my own blog. I guess I come to your blog to make undignified posts, Chad.
Everybody needs an outlet, m'man, though I'd never classify you as vulgar.
In regards to your very first comment: I started to wonder how much from a privileged standpoint (i.e. living by myself) I was writing from when I started these poems, later realizing that a good fraction of them were written well before I ever thought of doing a book--poems that just happened to fit, if you will.
As far as roommates go, I always waited until a person was out of my life before I wrote about them. Would I have never done this if I didn't finally settle into a one-bedroom? Would people not write about past roommates if they still had to deal with current ones? I don't think so. By that logic, people would never write love poems because of new partners vs. old ones.
That's a risk every artist takes when they use their own life as artistic inspiration. I think Woody Allen's Deconstructing Harry is an excellent fictitious portrayal of just this sort of conflict. It leads to those portrayed to ask "Is this really what the artist thinks of me? Is this how I really am? Why don't I inspire the same passion that this other character obviously does? Is the artist simply settling old scores with so-and-so? What will the artist do to me if things sour between us?"
These are very real scenarios that an artist must consider, especially in an era where "memoir" is all the rage.
I think if you start censoring yourself in any way you are doing yourself a disservice. Writing can be an essential part of the process of moving through & letting go of feelings. Published or not.
And those issues are the insecurities of the other person. If it is your truth why not express it as such? It is the artist's art, their expression, their snapshot of their life. Attaching that reflection to ones' self esteem meter is a deeper problem than from which material to create art.
Free Speech even about sex lives!
Hi Ian...
Hi Chad..
(I never met you Bret, but Hi)
Lynne
Hi Lynne,
Writers should feel free to write about what they want, but they should also be aware of the effects of their work. If, by writing about someone you know, that person will take umbrage, then don't act surprised that they do-- and make sure it's important enough to write that you can live with that umbrage!
I'm not saying one should censor oneself quite the opposite: I'm saying write what's important-- I'm someone who has made some enemies with what I've written, and in most instances, it was worth it.
Just make sure it was worth it.
this is hilarious! I actually was looking for a poem to give my roommate on myspace..... interesting what people come up with!
to the anonymous above: if you find anything, let me know. Seems like everyone in your shoes is swimming upstreams, given that my blog is at the top of all the searches.
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