I Never Told Anybody

There's a book by Kenneth Koch called I Never Told Anybody. It's about teaching poetry in an old folks home. Those of you who read this blog might or might not know that I'm very interested in alternative forms of education or "alternative pedagogies," as those in the know will say. I have consulted Koch's other book on teaching, Wishes, Lies, and Dreams, many times for inspiration for classes I've taught as well as for personal artistic inspiration. That one is about teaching to elementary-aged children.

Anyway, this morning I was eating rice and eggs and I opened I Never Told Anybody to a random page and began reading some poems. I was unprepared for how moving they could be. It amazes me how often the simplest, most unadorned language can have the most immediate emotional impact. It's something I always want to remember. It seems like something that "uneducated" people understand much more clearly that academic folks. So much of learning is unlearning.

I wanted to share a few poems with you:



To My Husband Frank

Honey dear, I want to tell you
How much I am lonely.
I am living by some friends
They treat me very good but
Not as how you would treat me.
Sweetheart dear, I wish you would
Come on home soon. Love, Mary.

Mary Tkalec



Poem

It feels good to make love when it rains.

Sam Rainey




Friendship

We were friends, that's all we were.
I thought of you and I thought I'd write
to see what you were doing.
I thought that by corresponding
we could tell each other whatever we felt.

You lived next door to me, and you went away
and I missed you. We used to read together, right here.
It wasn't a love affair
but you lived near me and I could talk to you, little secrets.
I'll leave it open to you to answer me.
I'd love to hear from you
So I can tell you my secrets, if I had any.
Right now I don't have any. Nadya.

Nadya Catalfano