The metanarrative language in all of Byrd’s prose poems veils the sequence of events and characters, yet I am really drawn to the poetry still. Because of the lack of punctuation, disconnected syntax & ideas, and lack of names, I as a reader want to “get” the works more than if the poetry were overt. The lack of usual details creates a desire to read the poetry at multiple angles in order to find a reading. Rather than accept this technique as a reading, I continue to try and “figure out” the poem, though I can see multiple ways in which the techniques work. So in a sense, the framing or metanarrative makes me work twice as hard, but still entertains.
Kathy Fagan’s strategy in dealing with clichés follows the strategy we are often taught, to inject fresh language into and around the cliché in order to personalize the phrase. Fagan does this every couple of poems, even developing an entire poem off the phrase “a monkey on her back” (2) in "Womb To Tomb Pantoum." This use of clichés makes the diction of Fagan’s poetry very casual and familiar, but the personalization of the clichés makes the specific language pop out with originality. Fagan takes the phrase “’pretty on the inside’” (19)in reference to girls that aren’t stereotypically beautiful and lets it reference specifically “the ones” (19)in "'69." Moments like this make Fagan’s poetry comfortable to an American audience, yet intriguing. If for no other reason, I continue to read Fagan’s work just to absorb how she twists clichés and trite phrases. When you catch one in her work, you expect her to twist the language into something that feels familiar, yet ...
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