“Practical Love Poems”? Practical and Poetry? How is poetry practical? Does Millicent Accardi’s title, “Practical Love Poems,” refer to the content or the form? Or both? If one googles “practical” several definitions appear including: 1) “of or concerned with the actual doing or use of something rather than with theory or ideas; “ 2) suitable for a particular purpose, and 3) sensible and realistic in their approach to a situation or problem. “ It is a curious title because in a way it is ironic– since poetry, at least that which is written down, and not recited or improvised, is often considered anything but sensible or realistic. It is usually not a “practical” art form or genre in the United States, but one practiced and read by the highly educated, often in the academy.
“Practical Love Poems” by Millicent Borges Accardi, of Portuguese-American descent, includes 61 poems on a wide range of themes. The style of the poems is for the most part free verse, and none of them rhyme. Each one does maintain its on rhythm, although lines and verses (when they exist) are not based on classical or traditional forms. The form is “practical” since it is contemporary and open. She is not concerned with imitating traditional form or stylistics as much as with conveying emotions and ambiance. Also the content is often “practical” in the sense that she writes about events and things that happen to every day “regular” people. This poetry highlights how important one person, event or thing, can be in the life of another—love (or hate). What does come through this collection is a love of and importance of the home, of family, and the simplicity of life. That seems to me to be very português, even though she writes in English and there are hardly any references to Portugal or anything Portuguese.
When one reads the Table of Contents, one gets a taste of this “practicality” and earthiness as well. “Something Dirty,” “It Didn’t Feel Dangerous, “ How to Cope with Living,” and “On the Phone to the UK” are just a few of the poems in this collection. I don’t know if all the people referenced or the narrators in these poems are real or not, but I did feel I got to know a little about them after reading the poems. Accardi’s descriptions are realistic but at the same time there is an underlying meaning, multiple interpretations, to these images. So this is not narrative. It IS poetry, even though it eschews more romantic lyricism and symbols. For example, in I Make Soup from the Leftover Turkey Carcass, she describes the recipe and what she and her husband do to the leftover turkey:
…I fill
The spaghetti pot half-full
Of water and break up
The bones to fit the vessel, adding
Brown, wrinkled onion
Skins, onions, celery…
Middle age, our time together,
The house. All re-energized
By this second thanksgiving.
In detail, we savor the ingredients and the aroma of this soup. She creates the atmosphere of the kitchen and gives the reader ample sensory information to imagine this scene. Yet, the key to it all, the underlying message, that we discover, is not necessarily that the soup was delicious, which I’m sure it was, but that there is real love there. The cooperation between her and husband, this couple time, is special. The “second thanksgiving” in this home, seems to be more intimate and more important than the big party thanksgiving that was already experienced. To me, com certeza, it feels like uma casa portuguesa.
Not all the poems are sweet though. There is something for everybody in this collection. Love, saudade, revenge, and trauma can all be part of daily life. In Perpetual Motion, Accardi pulls out the vivid raw language to describe someone who lives a difficult life, possibly on the edge of madness:
She moves through
Space like a raw cut
On an arm that won’t scab:
Bleeding, tender, at will
Nearly ready to break open
And bleed into the sidewalk….
One of my favorite poems is called My Talisman. In this poem, her talismans are catalysts for nostalgia, or even saudade. The lemon candle, an arrow head from Wyoming, part of a glass dome from Germany, a kaleidoscope, a unicorn and a doll take us down memory lane. Each one brings back a moment in time that was important to the poet. The objects, just like the verses, evoke cherished experiences.
Practical Love Poems, in its simplicity and down to earth language, is an accessible read even for those not accustomed to reading poetry. It is pleasant enough a book to open up while relaxing, yet offers enough profound emotions to ponder and analyze if one wishes.
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