National Poetry Month – Billy Collins

I was lucky enough to attend a reading by then U.S. poet-laureate Billy Collins in 2003. He was participating in the Florida State University Seven Days of Opening Nights (now renamed Opening Nights), which brought in writers, musicians, dancers, and other artists for a months long celebration of the arts.  

I wasn’t familiar with Collins work at the time, but his reading that night made me a fan. He had a warmth and humor that reminded me of writers like Mark Twain. He was incredibly personable, funny, and I could see why the New York Times called him “the most popular poet in America”.

His style is conversational, witty, and filled with dry humor. But at the same time, his poems can gently shift into something profound or moving, catching the reader off guard. 

One of my favorite poems of his is the first one in his collection, Sailing Alone Around the Room. It’s so very American.

Another Reason Why I Don’t Keep a Gun in the House

The neighbors’ dog will not stop barking.
He is barking the same high, rhythmic bark
that he barks every time they leave the house.
They must switch him on on their way out.

The neighbors’ dog will not stop barking.
I close all the windows in the house
and put on a Beethoven symphony full blast
but I can still hear him muffled under the music,
barking, barking, barking,

and now I can see him sitting in the orchestra,
his head raised confidently as if Beethoven
had included a part for barking dog.

When the record finally ends he is still barking,
sitting there in the oboe section barking,
his eyes fixed on the conductor who is
entreating him with his baton

while the other musicians listen in respectful
silence to the famous barking dog solo,
that endless coda that first established
Beethoven as an innovative genius.

-Billy Collins

Yeah, it’s a bit of dark humor, but that’s why I love his work so much. And being a dog owner, I can relate (Although I don’t allow my pups to annoy the neighbors. They are much better behaved. At least, I think they are.)

Billy Collins is a great poet to get into if you aren’t necessarily a fan of poetry. His poems are contemporary, easy to digest, and can catch you in unexpected ways. 

Do you like humor in your poetry? 

RB