April 22, 2009

In a Moment of Self-Correction

I went to hear Ethelbert Miller tonight, reading from The 5th Inning at Riverby Books, hosted by Monica Jacobe at "A Space Inside"--one of my favorite local reading series. The reading was great; not only the excerpts themselves but the larger reflection on the transition from prose to poetry and the role of the memoir in contemporary culture and the life of an author.

Afterwards, I gave Ethelbert and another poet a ride home. The radio was being kind. The Beach Boys crooned about Good Vibrations.

As we arrived at the Dupont Circle metro, and I pulled over to let Ethelbert out, I meant to say "Stop rocking my world." Or possibly "Stop blowing my mind."

What I said was "Stop blowing my world, Ethelbert!"

Before I had a chance to correct that, he had closed the car door.

Sorry about that, E. Everyone gets tongue-tied sometimes. Even the poet-types.

1 comment:

mgushuedc said...

especially the poet-types. Poetry is just a type of l'esprit de l'escalier