“Eating Poetry” by Mark Strand (1964)
Ink runs from the corners of my mouth.
There is no happiness like mine.
I have been eating poetry.
The librarian does not believe what she sees.
Her eyes are sad
and she walks with her hands in her dress.
The poems are gone.
The light is dim.
The dogs are on the basement stairs and coming up.
Their eyeballs roll,
their blond legs burn like brush.
The poor librarian begins to stamp her feet and weep.
She does not understand.
When I get on my knees and lick her hand,
she screams.
I am a new man.
I snarl at her and bark.
I romp with joy in the bookish dark.
My Interpretation
I am a connoisseur of the fine and decadent.
Of the strong and the tasteful.
For it is my experience that all “good things come
to those who wait.”
For those who wait- get what is coming to them.
I am a connoisseur of the deep and meaningful
Of the profound and eloquent.
Each bite taken equals new insight with
different meanings.
Each bite brings new life and enlightenment.
I am a connoisseur of the tough and tender.
Of the hard-to-taste and hard-to-comprehend.
Endless possibilities stem
From the countless beginnings.
Each with a different meaning and
Variation of the truth.
I am a connoisseur of the lost and the found.
Of the misplaced and the purposed.
It is in these words that new meanings are made.
It is in these new meanings that new perspective
Is made and to someday be cherished.
I am a connoisseur of the old and nostalgic.
Of the preserved and the old-fashioned.
It is like the elegance of your great-grandmother
Or the taste of your grandfather’s meatloaf.
It is something of worth that should be
treasured and displayed for all to see.
I am a connoisseur of the public and private.
Of the ‘who’s he?’ and the ‘oh them!’
They are hand crafted by those who are given,
Given opportunity and those who fight for one.
They are created with the sophistication of
contemplation or woven together from the
threadbare soul.
I am a connoisseur of poetry to learn and to play.
To absorb meaning and to gain understanding.
It is like eating a ball of sunshine-
Like tasting the sweet morsels of life.
I am a connoisseur of poetry to
Be changed,
Become the change.
Feel deeper and to challenge preconceived beliefs.
I am a connoisseur of poetry to-
Take part in a community of
New thinking and expression,
And take part in a world outside of what I
couldn’t possibly comprehend.
Penelope Nave 
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