Poems That Make Me Go All Tingly

A few weeks ago, Reb asked me if I would like to go through the No Tell archives and write a little bit about some poems that really got to me. After accepting this “mission”, I began browsing poems that have been published on the website and Bedside guides, and found several that seemed to stick with me as I did my search. As a result, I’ve ended up with a pile of poems that could use a second read.

At the Museum, Molly
By Shann Palmer

This is a tight little poem with an overload of images. Each line builds up to the embrace between two people and the “statue of a faceless women,/Jaipur marble perfectly carved” that seems to watch them. The description of the sun in this poem is another thing that made me like it. How it “slides into the wall, touch behind her ear, treasure her”. The opening two stanzas I liked a lot for their description of the museum and of Molly. The air in the museum that tastes “like fresh peaches” and Molly with “a mouth full of feathers”, humming Dulce Domum.

Copper Harbor
By Mary Biddinger

Here is a poem that I really like for it’s rhythm and sound. Lines like “the dark smudge of fish/ shanties and smokehouses.” and “The seagulls were quick as equinox, Evinrude,/ flypaper lit with a zippo.” make this poem fun to read. The rhythm and images flashing past you with every line keeps you on your toes till the very end. Also, this is another poem I really liked for it’s images; “your body an arrow into the lake.” and “the ether surge of a mower on the parkway slapped us out of reverie.”

Parlor
By Charles Jensen

This poem is one of my favorites. With it’s simple language, you really get the feeling of closeness the speaker has for his lover, who is laid out in a funeral parlor. With stanzas like “He’s laced your fingers/ incorrectly. Your left handed:/left thumb goes on top. A lover would know/ those little details…”, the feeling of intimacy is cemented in the readers mind. Yet through the mourning, signs of humor can be found as well. “The undertaker is young, attractive-/ your type. Sharp suit. Muted Tie./ The kind of moment where I’d imagine/ you’d make a joke about things that are “stiff”,

These poems can be found in The Bedside Guide to No Tell Motel - Second Floor along with plenty of other great ones for you to get lost in. Keep a look out for more poems that make me go all tingly, and if you have any that you think should be brought back from the past, just comment or leave me a message.