OMG the things these posts sometimes remind me of. But always: you can write about anything. Any subject. I definitely wrote a poem about a pocket knife years ago, and abandoned it because I thought: who wants to read my thoughts and feelings about a pocket knife? If I recall correctly, the thoughts were about the knife as gender marker, the feelings about the warm communal mood at a party at a restaurant when the lesbian friend of a friend received an engraved pocket knife as a gift. There was some discussion of various genders, bordering on astrology. I felt like leaving the party because I hardly knew anyone and no one would ever give me such a gift. But I stayed and then later wrote that poem and then trashed it. Ah, well.
Thank you for acknowledging the poetry of Gary Larson!
OMG the things these posts sometimes remind me of. But always: you can write about anything. Any subject. I definitely wrote a poem about a pocket knife years ago, and abandoned it because I thought: who wants to read my thoughts and feelings about a pocket knife? If I recall correctly, the thoughts were about the knife as gender marker, the feelings about the warm communal mood at a party at a restaurant when the lesbian friend of a friend received an engraved pocket knife as a gift. There was some discussion of various genders, bordering on astrology. I felt like leaving the party because I hardly knew anyone and no one would ever give me such a gift. But I stayed and then later wrote that poem and then trashed it. Ah, well.
Loved this knifey-constellation, Sean. Haven’t immersed myself in Stanford for a while—thanks for that. Your post, too, sent me back to this fruit-knife poem by Levis. https://blackbird-archive.vcu.edu/v19n2/poetry/levis-l/winter-page.shtml
from Billy Collins poem, "Divorce": Once, two spoons in bed, now tined forks across a granite table and the knives they have hired.
Valentine, Valentine, Valentine!