"Sally's Hair" by John Koethe (poetry reading)

I was asked to do a poem for Valentine's Day. I'm sorry it's a day too late.

It's also a book a poems. You can buy it here:
http://www.amazon.com/Sallys-Hair-Poems-John-Koethe/dp/0060789433

The painting is by Eric Hu and came from his site:
http://artoferichu.com/
(I had to alter it a little to fit the format)

If you want to see the rest of the blonde nude it's here:
http://www.oilpaintingsframes.com/images/100_1400-copy.jpg

Seduction is subtly hinted: he only said he knew Geoffrey Love, he didn't correct Sally's pronunciation of Ayn Rand.

You can listen to the John Koethe read it here:
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/19194

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Sally's
• Hair
• John
• Koethe
• Valentine

[soapmode]

Thanks for the reading. What's the title of the first painting?

[SpokenVerse]

It's by Eric Hu. Thanks for reminding me, I added a link to the info.

[scifiwritir]

More of a sex poem than a love poem. But I get the gist of the erotic suddenly entering life and sudden memories popping up. Realist that I am, I'm assuming it's not only memories that'll pop up. He probably has a son or daughter out there. Would definitely like to have read a poem from "Sally's" viewpoint. Men can romanticize...but many women have suffered from these trysts. Just saying. Thanks for uploading. Well-recited as usual.

[SpokenVerse]

Yes, girls, beware of the intellectual wolf. As Tony Hancock said, "A couple of pages of Bertrand Russell and they're putty in me hands."

[Yobero]

To SpokenVerse, re As Tony Hancock said, "A couple of pages of Bertrand Russell and they're putty in me hands." Haha, so funny, but true, at least in my case ;-)

[thallassocracy]

The poem is very interesting metrically. Almost all the lines seem to be a pentameter with bits left over; something you bring out very well in your reading.

Koethe foregrounds the 'mispronunciation' of 'Ayn', but I wonder if a boy fresh out of San Diego would be able to distinguish 'Ayn' from 'Ann' in a Florida accent.

'Hedonist' is spot-on for the period.

[EarlZetland]

A brilliant poem. The emotional tailing off towards the end was well thought out.

[rushdie]

Good