E is for Eliot

Since April is National Poetry Month, I wanted to write an A-Z post about one of my favorite poems. I decided to go with The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, by T.S. Eliot.

I first read this poem when I was in college, and I loved it right off the bat. I don't know why I felt such a connection to it, but I guess that is the beauty of poetry. Sometimes a poem just goes right to your heart, and stays there.

I can still see myself sitting in my dorm room, reading the poem and writing notes in the book's margins for a paper I had been assigned to write. I still have the book, and I have to admit that my scribblings don't seem nearly as brilliant or insightful as I thought they were back then. But I still love the poem.

I realized after writing yesterday's post about Maya's Angelou's "daring to dare" quote that this poem relates to that, as I have always loved this segment:

Do I dare
Disturb the universe?
In a minute there is time
For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse. 

In the poem, the narrator doesn't dare to disturb his universe.

I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker,
And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker,
And in short, I was afraid. 

To me the poem is quite sad, as the narrator is left to wonder:

And would it have been worth it, after all,
Would it have been worth while

I have always been touched by the poem's sense of weariness, regret, and resignation, and I find the words very haunting.

I loved my literature classes in college, and T.S. Eliot was among my favorites of the authors I was introduced to through those courses. I still enjoy his work today, as there is a sense of melancholy in his writing that appeals to me. 

I am not an expert on poetry by any stretch, but I always love to come upon a poem that touches me on some emotional level. If anyone has any favorite poets or poems, please share. I would love to discover some new poems, or re-discover some old ones. I can't think of a better way to celebrate National Poetry Month.