dumbfoundry

Sam Hamill writes, "The Friday evening opening ceremonies took place in a wonderful Greek style amphitheater on a steep hillside. It was packed with a noisy, excited crowd, as was the surrounding hillside. When opening comments began to get lengthy, people began calling, “Start the poetry!” Poets from nine or ten countries read in various languages (with translations), and from the joyous cheering and shouting of the audience, one might have guessed it to be a soccer match rather than a three-hour poetry reading. I was told there were nearly 8,000 people greeting 70 poets from around the world for this eight-day festival. Sitting on that stage, watching those bright faces and listening to poetry in languages I did not understand, I suddenly felt a deep sense of kinship—with the audience and with the poets. It was something I first experienced in small way in Greece , twenty years ago, and again in Italy … a deep abiding affection as we enter the State of Poetry —as we transcend The State. It's almost miraculous the way some poets connect despite linguistic and cultural barriers—as if seeing heart-to-heart."

This entry was posted by Ivy on Thursday, October 20, 2005 at 7:07 AM. You can skip to the end and leave a response.