The framing meta narrative as a biting critique of literary criticism makes it an interesting and funny read but the poetry itself is also beautiful and Nabokov has a way with words like none other…
“I was the shadow of the waxwing slain
By the false azure in the windowpane;
I was the smudge of ashen fluff -and I
Lived on, flew on, in the reflected sky.
And from the inside, too, I'd duplicate
Myself, my lamp, an apple on a plate:
Uncurtaining the night, I'd let dark glass
Hang all the furniture above the grass,
And how delightful when a fall of snow
Covered my glimpse of lawn and reached up so
As to make chair and bed exactly stand
Upon that snow, out in that crystal land!”
Also recommend reading poetry out loud (to get a feel for its rhythmic nature) and subscribing to the poetry newsletter of The Paris Review they send you a poem every day!!
Apr 1, 2024
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Honestly a lot of poetry is hard to read and has all these layers which is awesome and makes poetry so cool but I don’t have an English instructor on hand to go line-by-line with me (I mean I kind of do my husband is one but that would be annoying so I don’t ask this of him). Anyway David Berman’s poetry has this, but it is also just beautiful and evocative on its surface and you don’t have to be that smart or good at reading poetry to like or understand it (though I’m sure a smart person who is good at reading poetry would get even more out of it).
So anyway maybe starting with something like this and then rereading it and finding those layers and getting that dopamine hit from understanding poetry but also building those skills and positive association with poetry before reading more challenging stuff. Just my dummy 2¢!
Apr 1, 2024
trying to consume more poetry nowadays too and receiving a daily poem in my mailbox has been v helpful in figuring out what speaks to me and what im not per se keen on. todays poem was a delight imo!
Apr 14, 2025
Poetry is often short and so we just skim over it and are left underwhelmed. Sometimes we need to make ourselves hear and feel it more, I find that reading the poem out loud really helps with this! Also maybe try to find videos of poets reading their own poems. (I’ve attached a Mary Oliver reading, I’ve never met anyone who didn’t like Mary Oliver haha)
Also remember that “poetry” is such a huge and nebulous literary form and that you may well dislike a lot of it (I detest so much poetry that I find it a little embarrassing as a poet). Just because you don’t like a poem, or a hell of a lot of poems, doesn’t mean you don’t like poetry, you’ve just not found the poems you like. If you find one poem that you like, find more from that same poet. If you like a poet, look at who their fans like, or who the poet has cited as inspiration. You’re allowed to find lines you love but not like other lines in the same poem. It’s all worth it when you find one line that hits right through you. “you do not have to be good…you just have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves”.
Apr 1, 2024
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“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage.”
— Anaïs Nin
This is uncharacteristically raw and personal, even for me, and pretty heavy! I know many of you have seen me posting through it and I feel safe to talk about it openly now that I’ve safely landed at the start of my new life. It’s honestly even a little bit embarrassing but I think it’s important to share.
I’ve never publicly mentioned it on here, but I have a husband; as of Friday, we’d have been together for 11 years, and we’ve been married for 3 years as of 2/22. I realize now that I wanted to explore what I looked like outside of my relationship with him because I had lost that. This is why PI.FYI has been so meaningful to me as a space to express myself and connect with people—to rediscover my voice.
I had been living a lie this entire time, to others but worst of all to myself. He’s been verbally and emotionally abusive, physically but without touching me, to the point that every day I spent with him I was in danger. I’ve been shrinking myself and walking on eggshells to avoid making him insecure and provoking his casual put-downs and fits of rage, while hanging on for dear life to the threads of good I could see.
I’ve wanted so badly to leave, more than anything, but I felt like there was no way out and that this was just something I would need to endure indefinitely—but someone who is so very dear to me helped me see that I have wings to fly, not by acting as my savior but by reminding me of my own power. The emotional safety they built and the gentle care they showed me made me feel like I could open up to them. With their encouragement I was brave enough to tell the truth to my friends, my family, my boss, and they have received me with warm, loving and open arms and rallied to support and protect me. The financial and logistical aspects were the most intimidating to me and it’s going to be tough for a while but I’m going to be better than okay!
Now I’m opening up to you. This isn’t the only abuse I’ve suffered in my life, and my old therapist told me she believed it was my mission to share my strength and light with others to inspire them and show them that change is possible.
I hope that by sharing this, I can reach even just one person who is going through something similar and show that they are not alone, and they are not weak. People with certain backgrounds may be more vulnerable to abuse, but it can happen to anyone. It thrives in darkness, shame, and isolation—and breaking that silence is the first step toward freedom.
Leaving is the scariest thing I have ever done but I have so many angels around me, and I am endlessly grateful. Thank you for being here with me đź’Ś
Mar 16, 2025
My dad teases me about how when I was a little kid, my favorite thing to do when I was on the landline phone with somebody—be it a relative or one of my best friends—was to breathlessly describe the things that were in my bedroom so that they could have a mental picture of everything I loved and chose to surround myself with, and where I sat at that moment in time. Perfectly Imperfect reminds me of that so thanks for always listening and for sharing with me too 💌
Feb 23, 2025
Schedule sent my resignation email for the morning, effective immediately âś…đź’…
Feb 27, 2025