Meaning and Inspiration

My first poetry reading. I was not sure what to expect as I entered the cozy, crowded corner of the Prairie Lights Bookstore adorned with green chairs, and took a seat amongst the towering shelves of books lining the walls. The mood in the room is mixed. Some, like myself, appear clearly apprehensive, as though they, like myself, have never attended a poetry reading before. They sit in silence, eagerly anticipating the reading. Others--frequenters of such events, I would assume--chat away with one another. Shortly after seven, a woman takes the stage to introduce the reader.

Zach Savich is introduced to the crowd as a graduate of the University of Iowa's Writers' Workshop and winner of the Iowa Poetry Prize. He is described as having the ability to capture the mergence of romance and reality within his work. These are topics of particular interest to me. As he takes the stage, I am relieved at his noninvasive presence. He appears to be almost as nervous to be speaking as I am to be there. 

He begins by posing the question, "What do people imagine when they're writing poems?" I consider this. Where do people draw their inspiration? And how does that define them as a poet? He answers for himself through out the reading, telling the audience that he draws inspiration from his friends and coworkers, as well as legendary figures such as Don Quixote. Shakespeare, and Charlie Chaplin. Many of his poems are reminiscent of others' thoughts and happenings. I find it reassuring that he, a prize-winning poet, draws inspiration from those he looks up to. I am inspired.

In terms of his work, I found the poems themselves a bit confusing. I could not tell where one poem ended and the next began, or whether they were a series of longer poems. Between what I deem to be poems, he stops and addresses the audience. He speaks to some people specifically, primarily friends and people he has gone out with the night before. He sympathizes with those who feel bored by the long, rambling poems that don't speak to them and promises to read only his most meaningful material and finish at a reasonable time. He finished ten minutes later, presenting the whole reading in just a little over half an hour. 

In the short time that he presented, I listened carefully to his work to try and find that important meaning he had described. The moment when it all makes sense. It was in his poem inspired by Don Quixote that I discovered the line which inspired me the most. Buried within the long, confusing poem was the notion that everything is "out of order, but related." This notion struck a chord with me. This line alone helped me to understand the rest of his poetry--his constant jumping from topic to topic--the disconnect within and between every work. It made me delve deeper into his words and search for my own interpretation of ways in which the random, disordered topics relate and connect to make sense. I believe that I was able to discover the 'meaning' Savich had implied: it is unique to every individual based on their personal inspirations and interpretations. 

-Caitlin Ward