Louis Jenkins Blog Response

These poems are simple. That was my first reaction after reading Louis Jenkins' poems. His video poem Fresh Duluth, to me, was just a list of winter time thoughts or just some things to think about. I don't believe poems just have one meaning and that meaning is universally understood, but many of his poems are definitely directed toward a Midwest audience. Would someone in California understand getting dressed for winter and appreciate his poem. I don't think they would. Louis describes the thoughts that go through our minds when we get dressed to travel outside in the snow, but what further meaning does his poem offer? What is he trying to express in Fresh Duluth and quite frankly why is this poem popular and what distinguishes it from other list poems? In poetry class we talk about showing vs. telling and how our poems become more interesting for the reader when they have to think about and interpret the language, so how is Louis poem showing instead of telling. Not that every poem in the entire world has to show instead of tell, but it has been a main theme in our class and I was wondering if there are exceptions to this general rule. 

Another thing I would like to point out, is that poetry comes in many different forms and I found it interesting that Louis Jenkins poem, The Afterlife, has a unique form. It contains quotes, and seems like more of a dialogue than a poem. It's interesting to read different poets work because they are all so unique. Chris Martin has the form or three line stanzas varying in length and Louis Jenkins' form is more dialogue and paragraph form. I'm excited to hear how he reads his poetry though.