John Barton
John Barton
poems
To me many short poems read and write like beginnings that simply whet my appetite; I want to get over that.
obvious outset poems unfold
I have been told my poems unfold in such a way that it is not at all obvious from the outset where they are going or how they will end.
either poems remarkably unaware understanding verse written
Most victims of my autobiographical verse are either far too polite, remarkably understanding unaware that I have written poems about them.
chose poems relative
I would not say I chose to write long poems on a conscious level. The long poem has been a relative constant.
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.
build critical greatest help poems publishing thoughtful
The greatest satisfaction comes from publishing interesting poems and well written, thoughtful critical material, and to help build a community.
time
You can never step into the same book twice, because you are different each time you read it.
cannot engaging fact happened notion personally point stop time
We are comfortable with the fact that we cannot know personally what happened in the world before we were born, yet we are uncomfortable with the notion that we will stop engaging with time at some point in the future.
board caused deal great literary magazines member prominent submission
I have been told by a member of the board of one of Canada's most prominent literary magazines that a submission of mine once caused a great deal of controversy.
audience censor others poets realise sensitive
Poets have to be sensitive to their audience, but it does not mean that they censor themselves. I realise my audience is diverse. Some will read with empathy and curiosity while others will take offense.
inevitably lives pull
Poets can't resist the dramatic pull of their lives and so inevitably write autobiographical verse.
form inquiry nature poetry procedures using
Poetry is but another form of inquiry into the nature of phenomena, using with its own unique procedures and tools.
absurd amused became colours decides hot intrigued
I became intrigued with colour theory. The absurd pronouncements of the Colour Institute, a group that decides what colours are hot each year or season, amused me.
experience obsessed passage vulnerable
I have always been very obsessed with time. Time's passage makes us all very vulnerable and because we all experience it in our own way, it can make us feel very alone.