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obliviousally_ljFor the longest time, I was seeing bits of poetry or lyrics on tumblr without a reference to where they came from. The were abrupt, blunt, and very compelling. I would reblog them, add them to my headpeople blogs, that sort of thing. Eventually, a few months back, I discovered the source which they came from: Richard Siken.
There's something very desperate in his writing and it comes off very much like a stream of conciousness, which I like, which reminds me of how I write, think, and sometimes speak. While it is technically gay-themed (most poems are about two boys), it truly doesn't come off as such. While the narrator is often talking about a boy, it's easily read in regards to either gender - because who hasn't felt that sort of desperation or reckless love for someone? Many of the poems don't even mention a person or gender explicitly, and can be taken in generalities.
I acquired Crush from the library and, truly, I never want to return it. It's one of those books I want to keep on my person at all times, read it whenever I have the chance, write in its margins and underline its words. It's really that amazing to me. I bought chalk and scrawled quotes around on the fences downtown. Just because.
Some of the poems were a bit hard to read at first. I love his use of spacing and line breaks, but if I lose my place, it takes a moment for me to find it. But once I got the rhythm of it, I read through the book two, three, probably four times.
The downside is that a lot of Supernatural slash shippers have taken a lot of poems for Sam/Dean or Dean/Castiel, which is obnoxious. Yes, I'll agree there are a lot of Winchester-esque lines and such, but they're of a general nature, not of a romantic one. But I'm sure that makes me a great big homophobe. But I'm thankful other people in the Richard Siken tag on tumblr feel the way I do.
There's something very desperate in his writing and it comes off very much like a stream of conciousness, which I like, which reminds me of how I write, think, and sometimes speak. While it is technically gay-themed (most poems are about two boys), it truly doesn't come off as such. While the narrator is often talking about a boy, it's easily read in regards to either gender - because who hasn't felt that sort of desperation or reckless love for someone? Many of the poems don't even mention a person or gender explicitly, and can be taken in generalities.
I acquired Crush from the library and, truly, I never want to return it. It's one of those books I want to keep on my person at all times, read it whenever I have the chance, write in its margins and underline its words. It's really that amazing to me. I bought chalk and scrawled quotes around on the fences downtown. Just because.
Some of the poems were a bit hard to read at first. I love his use of spacing and line breaks, but if I lose my place, it takes a moment for me to find it. But once I got the rhythm of it, I read through the book two, three, probably four times.
The downside is that a lot of Supernatural slash shippers have taken a lot of poems for Sam/Dean or Dean/Castiel, which is obnoxious. Yes, I'll agree there are a lot of Winchester-esque lines and such, but they're of a general nature, not of a romantic one. But I'm sure that makes me a great big homophobe. But I'm thankful other people in the Richard Siken tag on tumblr feel the way I do.
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Date: 2011-07-29 12:35 pm (UTC)I have never read his work before, or even have seen it around tumblr. I am going to check him out!
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Date: 2011-07-29 08:36 pm (UTC)'Crush' is essentially a whole story told though his poetry and many of the poems online are from it (or were adapted for it).
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Date: 2011-11-20 03:37 am (UTC)