John Barton
John Barton
against establish fact football good job strong
The fact that they were more physical, they could establish anything they wanted on the football field. They have two strong backs. They are strong runners, and we didn't do a good enough job against that.
combined elements experiment hope interest mostly poem pulling various
The experiment of the poem is mostly intuitive. I write the first draft, pulling in the various elements that interest me, in the hope that their being combined will lead to some kind of insight.
extra field goals points work
We work on extra points and field goals every day, every day. To have that let us down is very tough.
benefits companies compete offers package pick whoever
These companies will compete to be picked, and we'll pick whoever offers the package that better benefits the patient.
french hypothesis influence joke struggle
How does any place influence one's poetry? Sometimes I joke that Hypothesis is about an Alberta boy's struggle to have French boyfriends.
came effect form poetry spells
In the past, poetry came in the form of spells and chants used to effect change.
desired poetry views
If poetry alters the way in which the reader views the world, then it has had its desired effect.
ford red silver smashed toyota
In the first accident, the silver Toyota Tundra smashed into the back of the red Ford truck, probably because of the smoke.
shock
I never yelled, never screamed. I was in shock that it was still going on.
agent poetry reader uses
An experienced reader uses the poem as an agent of inquiry. This makes poetry very exciting, unstable, and interactive.
cannot poems tinker
I sometimes like to tinker with poems that have failed, ones that I have sent aside. Even years afterward, I will revisit them if there is something about them that I cannot give up on.
conversation entered poetry
Sometimes poetry is inspired by the conversation entered into by reading other poems.
allow disregard good prejudices readers
Some readers allow their prejudices to blind them. A good reader knows how to disregard inappropriate responses.
brought conditions consider elements experiment interact number poem test
I consider a poem to be a kind of experiment where a number of elements are brought together under test conditions to see how they will interact to create meaning or relevance.