This Blog Is So Zeitgeisty

Just as we have a long and lively discussion of which poems we memorize and which we want to memorize, some hot shot (actually, humor writer Jim Holt :0)) for the New York Times Book Review writes a big old essay about the value of memorizing poetry. He even mentions some of the same treasured verses that we do. Jim sez:

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A few years ago, I started learning poetry by heart on a daily basis. I’ve now memorized about a hundred poems, some of them quite long — more than 2,000 lines in all, not including limericks and Bob Dylan lyrics. I recite them to myself while jogging along the Hudson River, quite loudly if no other joggers are within earshot. I do the same, but more quietly, while walking around Manhattan on errands — just another guy on an invisible cellphone.

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We egalitarian bookworms rock so hard that we beat the NYTBR to the punch. Nice. Still, despite being behind the times, it's a funny essay, and worth a read.