But most commonly, it's one poem that I work on with a lot of intensity.
Philip LevineRead
Now I think poetry will save nothing from oblivion, but I keep writing about the ordinary because for me it's the home of the extraordinary, the only home.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the value of finding beauty and significance in everyday experiences through poetry.
Philip Levine expresses a sentiment that while he believes poetry may not prevent the inevitable fading of memories into oblivion, he is compelled to write about ordinary moments because they hold extraordinary meaning for him. This highlights the power of art to elevate the mundane and connect us to deeper truths about life and our experiences.
Themes
PoetryOrdinaryExtraordinaryArtExpression
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the importance of art in society, one could reference this quote to emphasize how poetry captures the essence of everyday life.
More from Philip Levine
All quotes →Meet some people who care about poetry the way you do. You'll have that readership. Keep going until you know you're doing work that's worthy. And then see what happens. That's my advice.
Philip LevineRead
I'm afraid we live at the mercy of a power, maybe a God, without mercy. And yet we find it, as I have, from others.
Philip LevineRead
It's ironic that while I was a worker in Detroit, which I left when I was twenty six, my sense was that the thing that's going to stop me from being a poet is the fact that I'm doing this crummy work.
Philip LevineRead
If that voice that you created that is most alive in the poem isn't carried throughout the whole poem, then I destroy where it's not there, and I reconstruct it so that that voice is the dominant voice in the poem.
Philip LevineRead
I'm saying look, here they come, pay attention. Let your eyes transform what appears ordinary, commonplace, into what it is, a moment in time, an observed fragment of eternity.
Philip LevineRead
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Sometimes you stumble across a few chords that put you in a reflective place.
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