 Former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins signed various copies of his books after his poetry reading Thursday. He filled Devlin 008 to its capacity.
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"By now it should go without saying that what the oven is to the baker, and the berry-stained blouse is to the dry cleaner, so the window is to the poet," said Billy Collins, former Poet Laureate (2001-2003), in his poem on the rituals and routines of poets.
Collins spoke Thursday as students spilled into the crowded Devlin 008 to hear the two-year laureate read from a selection of his poems. His works sometimes poked fun at the oddities of poets and poetry, while others weaved themes of time, love, and the human experience.
Even before he began to speak, Collins was greeted with applause from the estimated 350 people in attendance. It set the tone for the polished performer, said Paul Doherty, director of the Lowell Humanitarian Lecture Series and English professor.
"He was quite touched by the fact that he was applauded when he came in," said Doherty. "He really enjoyed himself."
Collins began with three poems that he said established the "coordinates of the poetry exchange." The first was an idealized depiction of the reader, ready to listen to the knowledge offered in poetry.
The aforementioned second poem, titled "Monday," described the habits of poets in their writing process. The third work was about poetry itself, titled "The Trouble with Poetry."
"The trouble with poetry, I realized as I walked along the beach one night - cold, hard sand under my bare feet, chilled stars in the sky - the trouble with poetry is that it encourages the writing of more poetry," he said.
His style of wry humor and deep observations gives him a broad appeal, said Doherty. "He is well known as somebody who people who aren't poets themselves can listen to and enjoy," he said.
Following the first three poems, Collins read a humorous love poem in which a man compares his "beloved" to a number of objects. Before he began reading, he mused that what women really want are similes, drawing loud audience laughter.
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