mmmcd

Epigraphs as a Means of Engagement

     Goodness is better than evil
     Becuz it’s nicer.
                         —Anselm Berrigan

Hello community, what do we think of
using epigraphs by poets we’re currently
reading to kickstart poems we write our
selves? I have a hard time comprehend
ing how this might be a problem, but I’m
assuming, as with most anything, there are
pros and cons. It’s like Glenn Ingersoll says
in his somewhat similar project (to mine, to
this one), sometimes devils (I’m paraphrasing) 

are sexy and sometimes they’re repulsive. 

Now I myself have been caught by the web 

of the devil’s sexiness before, probably more 

often than repulsed. This to me is just as fun 

a topic as using epigraphs from poems I’ve

(usually recently) read to kickstart one of

my own.  Sometimes I've already laid the 

groundwork in my head about what a poem’ll 

be about, from how it begins, the trajectory,

and occasionally (but rarely) how it will end. 

As you may or may not be able to tell, that 

isn’t the case here. I’ve just been reading 

Anselm’s book Something for Everybody 

and came across this quote of his and 

decided what a great and true quote: 

simple, concise, said quirkily.  And it’s 

understated to me because it’s so truthy,

so obvious. Good guys aren’t always the 

winners in the end, and bad guys aren’t only 

often quite elevated or sexy to the public eye 

or ear, but many in real life never get a jot of 

punishment for their bad behavior. I will say

it’s important for me to be the best I possibly 

can. But that’s as subjective a quest as can 

be. But back to my query, now that I’ve

offered up some evidence of how I utilize the 

practice of using these quotes by others, I’ll 

throw in another aspect, one I’m sure I can 

find agreement from at least a few who’ve 

experience with such things, but perhaps 

it’s a small minority who would go this

route, who am I to know: I get to
also use these quotes as a way 

to engage not only with the poet, 

of whom I could be a fan, or they

might be a friend, someone I’d just

discovered, quite happy to have 

done so. Occasionally throwing 

in a quote is a way for me to have 

a bit of public rapport with another 

writer, artist, person, etc. And it 

ups the ante for the poem because 

there’s a certain amount of risk one 

takes, particularly if you’re starting off 

with a quote by one of your heroes.

But what worthwhile risks those

can be! When something 
resonates, why not put the

resonance to a test, publicly 

meting it out?  It can very much 

be a means to explore why the 

words struck such a chord.

It is still a vehicle for engage

ment, which can move well 

beyond the page. So talk
with me. Talk to me. DM
me, as they say. Or do they
say that anymore? I dunno.
I’m here, I’m around, it’s
easy to find a way to do
such a thing. It’s just a
thought and a hope, but/
and I said it. To you.