rivercrow

I have problems reading fiction that I just don’t have with non-fiction or poetry.

I get bored. The narrative structure becomes confining. I rebel against the linearity.

Not to say other works aren’t linear. But something about the expected compliance with fiction’s linearity makes me itchy.

Poems are usually short enough and have other charms that I’m willing to follow the line. I’m beginning to see that prose poems might be more enjoyable for me–they combine the best of narrative with the flow, wordplay, and brevity of poetry.

Ferlinghetti’s Love in the Days of Rage met my needs for a novel, I suspect because of its prose-poem nature. The characters interested me as much as any other characters, the plot and action was pleasing, but the structure was open and the words were beautifully placed.

I just picked up a Richard Brautigan collection that contains Trout Fishing in America, In Watermelon Sugar, and The Pill versus the Springhill Mine Disaster. I read a few excerpts while waiting at traffic lights and am eager to read more.

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