Poetry reading from March 29th, yeah it was a long time ago

On Monday, March 29th I attended the first reading of The Open Light: A Celebration of Notre Dame Poets. I was actually required to go for another one of my classes so it was a nice way to get two birds with one stone. Unfortunately on that particular day I forgot we had to go to the reading so I went to our normal classroom and after sitting in isolation for 3 minutes I realized my mistake and ran out of the main building to McKenna Hall where the reading was being held. Luckily for me I only interrupted the introduction and was able to slither into a seat in the back of the room without causing too much of a disturbance.
The reading was held in one of McKenna Hall’s smaller rooms, not in the main auditorium like the Laurie Moore reading. I think this gave the poetry reading a more relaxed feeling; it wasn’t a big presentation, but rather an intimate reading. The room was filled with a mixture of students and those other adults you find on college campuses who could be professors, but you’re never quite sure. One young woman had an adorable baby with her, who was sometimes a participant in the reading. At one point one of the poets, Beth Ann Fennelly, asked how old the baby was and the mom replied that she was 10 weeks old and this was already her second poetry reading. I was impressed; the baby had already been to more poetry readings than I had.
The three poets who read were Jenny Boully, Beth Ann Fennelly, and Kimberly Blaeser, all three graduates from Notre Dame. When I arrived I was unsure what my feelings toward this reading would be. I have never been a huge poetry fan, unless you count performing Shel Silverstien’s poems in elementary school forensics. I usually feel that poetry has this deep, profound meaning that I’m too lazy to try and figure out. When the first poet, Jenny Boully, started reading I thought, “Yep, I don’t understand poetry.” Her poems made no sense to me. She spoke very rapidly and I managed to pick up a few phrases such as “I do believe in kidnapping I do, I do, I do” and “everything is too eerily coincidental.” I tried to focus, but my mind kept wandering and counting down the time until I could leave.
But then Beth Ann Fennelly started her reading and I my attention was drawn back in. Beth Ann reminded me of Ariel from the Little Mermaid. Her straight ruby hair came down past her waist and she had a smile permanently fixed on her face. She constantly laughed at herself and her work. The most attractive feature of her reading though, was that I understood her poems! Before each poem she gave an explanation of what inspired her to write it. Her poems ranged from one called Poem not to be read at your wedding to one about cow-tipping. My favorite poem was where she described spring at the University of North Carolina where she teaches. My favorite line was, “Today is the day the first bare-chested runners appear.” The humor in her poems leads to more serious aspects. After she proceeds to describe the bare-chested runners and how she goggles at them, the poem reflects on aging and the scarcity of time. The best part of the reading, however, was when I saw Beth Ann’s outfit after she was done. She wore a cute jumper dress and rainbow kneesocks that stuck up above her cowboy boots. This alone makes me want to be her friend.