Negative Capability Press Poetry Blog

Sue, I really like this. I’m struggling with the “conversation” in the title, though. When I first read it, I read it as a monologue. Then, after incorporating the title into my reading, I could feel the shift between speakers, but I was wondering if there is a formatting issue in differentiating when the speaker changes.

I also have to get used to the LA/TX use of “what” instead of “that.”

I love the shift from roaches to sweet tea. The South captured in just a few short lines.

Beautiful!

Rob, I agree. How do you change the title on the blog?

And it is a monologue.

SBW

uh oh–i’m about to screw things up here…but i can see this as a conversation, probably because oddly, i’ve renamed my “wishful thinking” “the conversation,” and it, too, appears to be a monologue. we don’t have to read the other part of the conversation for it to exist…the monologue is an answer to something–even a flinch from a roach or any body language can be a part of a conversation. anyway, personally, i don’t mind the word in the title…i like the poem, a lot, too, esp. as i become better acquainted with the south since attending college in nashville…

This poem really made me laugh. I can see it as a monologue (or one half of a conversation, rather…for that reason, I like the title) from a very warm, honest person (Who else would talk about roaches flying into gumbo before offering someone a drink?). I always love the accent and dialect of your poems–it feels so real. Was this a postcard poem?

I love it. It makes me think of the stories you tell about overhearing conversations that are “found poems,” ready to go.