Half Starts and Trail Offs

Mome raths meet the Muppets

Apr 19

MeredithPoetry, Reading, Writing guest blogger, Lizzy Gary, national poetry month, so much poetry to love 2 Comments

Today’s guest blogger is Lizzy Gary, an all-around amazing woman who also happens to be Avelino’s mom. Lizzy  has been a writer in the corporate communications world her entire career. In her downtime, she’s a voracious reader, currently making her way through the Pulitzer fiction winners from the past 30 years. Her kids credit her with their appreciation for DIY creativity, and for their love of the written word. I hope you’ll enjoy her look into the wonder of the “Jabberwocky” and the staying power of poetry.

I am a bit intimidated by what and who has gone before me on this guest blog. But, as my kids know, I’m usually game to try something new, so here goes.

I definitely come at this from a layman’s perspective, because I have always been pretty much afraid of poetry. I can remember my first exposures to poetry, and my questioning, dumbstruck, help-me-I-don’t-understand reaction. I was heavy into Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, had made it through all of the Beverly Cleary books and loved Henry and Ribsy, and I read every book about John F. Kennedy that I could find. Poetry? Give me a break.

Then, in the fifth grade, my excellent teacher Mrs. Seay read “Jabberwocky” to us. Over and over. It was wonderful. At first reading, I was right there with my typical questioning, dumbstruck, help-me-I-don’t-understand shaking of the head. But there was something else. A smile? Yes, a smile! The words were funny. The poem was funny. The image was funny. Poetry did this?  Lewis Carroll imagined a tale and then imagined the words to tell the tale? I was flabbergasted. “Jabberwocky” was fun. And after my initial reluctance, understanding began to creep in. Oh, I don’t pretend to understand Lewis any better than the next guy, or Alice, but I did begin to see that despite the nonsense, the story was there—the poem had meaning. I got it!!

Now, when I stand in uffish thought, or when I spot a vorpal sword in the Salvation Army store, I am reminded of the delight I discovered in poetry and in the Jabberwock. Oh, and I’m reminded of the most outstanding recitation of “Jabberwocky” I have ever had the privilege of hearing. And I am so pleased to share that with you now.

Think of it. Lewis Carroll wrote the first draft of the first stanza in the mid-1800s. And 125 years later, Jim Henson’s characters were reciting, interpreting, portraying the characters and action of the poem. This is mind boggling to me—that a young man wrote a nonsensical poem 150 years ago, and I’m blogging about it tonight. I am SO ready to create something that people will be doing whatever they’ll be doing about fantastic writing in 150 more years.

Some of my and my children’s best memories are of the Muppet Show—it was required watching when they were growing up. This coming together of the nonsense of Lewis Carroll , the imagination of Jim Henson, and the structure of poetry—it makes me smile. Actually, I’ve gotten all mimsy thinking about it again.

`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.