Dear Billy Collins

Dear Billy Collins,
I have a very good friend
who says you remind him of me.
While I take that as a compliment
almost every picture of you I see
has you chewing on the end of your glasses
with sorta flirty eyes and I would never do that,
the chewing on my glasses part.
You have said you hope your poems
begin in Kansas and end in Oz
and I can see myself hoping that
although I wouldn’t say it out loud.
Your verses are very approachable
filled with things like low hanging clouds
and clinking whiskey glasses.
I strive for accessibility too but
so far I’ve held off on the whiskey.
I have to tell you, Billy, that there are times
I’m reading your work and I get sleepy,
I believe your critics have used the word pedantic.
Now I’m of the silent opinion that most critics
can kiss my ass and then some, but
there are times when I’m reading your work
that I wish you’d say something like that,
just throw your whiskey glass up into the
low hanging clouds and watch it tumble down
and shatter on the yellow brick road
and frighten all the munchkins almost to death.
But I have the sense you wouldn’t do that
and I understand that restraint, I really do.
Maybe that’s what my good friend means
when he says I remind him of you,
that something in our eyes that is safe, like home.
 
 
 
 
 

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9 Comments

  1. legomai1 on July 11, 2014 at 1:28 pm

    I love Billy Collins! I think that’s what I like about your poems. They are accessible… and lovely.

    • thebeautifuldue on July 11, 2014 at 5:43 pm

      Thank you so much. I would address you by name but I couldn’t find it – sorry.

      • legomai1 on July 20, 2014 at 7:19 pm

        I’m sorry… I forgot to do that when I started this… My name is Laura. I heard about you through Kara Tippets site, Mundane Faithfulness.

  2. jamesscottsmith on July 11, 2014 at 1:36 pm

    You are kind.

  3. Heather Kopp at SoberBoots.com on July 11, 2014 at 3:34 pm

    Oh man. You are amazing. And don’t tell Billy Collins, but I like you better. H

    • thebeautifuldue on July 11, 2014 at 5:45 pm

      Heather, I won’t tell him unless I feel its absolutely necessary (smile). Thanks!

  4. pastordt on July 11, 2014 at 7:18 pm

    I’m with Heather. LOVE THIS ONE. So, what else is new?

  5. wynnegraceappears on July 19, 2014 at 2:14 pm

    Brilliant. Still chewing my cud on this. Although it appears simple, there is a great deal here to feast on. And I am, feasting. Love it. Re-reading is in order.

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