Creative Inspiration: Kim Addonizio

Last week, The Writer's Almanac featured three poems by Kim Addonizio. I really like two of them -- For You and Scary Movies. (Scary Movies is my favorite. It's awesome. LOVE the ending.)

Speaking of love, you might prefer Forms of Love. It's poetry, so preferences are personal.

Look at how Addonizio plays with structure, from the rhythm of For You to the carry-you-through-the-poem stanza breaks in Scary Movies to the repetitive structure of Forms of Love.

For You is really short, so I'll copy it here. Check the links for the others -- and let me know which one you like best!

For You
by Kim Addonizio

For you I undress down to the sheaths of my nerves.
I remove my jewelry and set it on the nightstand,
I unhook my ribs, spread my lungs flat on a chair.
I dissolve like a remedy in water, in wine.
I spill without staining, and leave without stirring the air.
I do it for love. For love, I disappear.

"For You" by Kim Addonizio, from Lucifer at the Starlight. © W.W. Norton and Co., 2009.

P.S. I used a small font for the poem in hopes that the line breaks won't be changed in the posting. I read a fascinating article recently quoting Billy Collins and his concerns re: poetry "translated" into electronic media (Kindles, etc.) incorrectly. Line breaks are generally incidental in prose, as long as the paragraph breaks are clear. It's a completely different story in poetry.

P.P.S. Yes. That's Addonizio's official bio photo. Another reason to like her.