"Still, language is resilient, and poetry when it is pressured simply goes underground"
- Diane Wakoski
About this Quote
This quote by Diane Wakoski speaks with the power of language and poetry. In spite of the pressures of society, language is resilient and will not be silenced. Poetry is a form of expression that is often viewed as a type of resistance, and when it is forced, it will not be silenced. Instead, it will go underground, continuing to exist in the shadows and in the hearts of those who still believe in its power. This quote speaks with the power of language and poetry, and how it can be used to reveal concepts and sensations that may not be accepted by society. It is a suggestion that language and poetry will constantly discover a method to make it through, even when it is forced.
"I think Ginsberg has done more harm to the craft that I honor and live by than anybody else by reducing it to a kind of mean that enables the most dubious practitioners to claim they are poets because they think, If the kind of thing Ginsberg does is poetry, I can do that"
"Nothing truly convincing - which would possess thoroughness, vigor, and skill - has been written against the ancients as yet; especially not against their poetry"
"The dance can reveal everything mysterious that is hidden in music, and it has the additional merit of being human and palpable. Dancing is poetry with arms and legs"
"A book is sent out into the world, and there is no way of fully anticipating the responses it will elicit. Consider the responses called forth by the Bible, Homer, Shakespeare - let alone contemporary poetry or a modern novel"