A place that nobody dared to go

So my last entry prompted a question from a few faithful readers.

"Jeremy," they query, "if Howl by Allen Ginsberg is your second favorite poem, what is your favorite poem?"

The answer to that, dear friends, is Kubla Kahn by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

I swear its not my favorite poem just because it mentions Xanadu in the first line. Although, I must admit that Mr. Coleridge did have great foresight and prescience to mention such a great film in the opening line.

I'm sure you thought that I would have chosen a poem even gayer as my favorite poem, but I like the unfinished beauty of Kubla Kahn. I love its mouth-full-of-smooth-stones feel as you try to recite it aloud. It is a difficult poem that is as simple and direct as it is obtuse and meaningless.

I know, you think The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is a better poem, and most certainly it is. Its meaning is quite clear. Its imagery has a tangibility that Kubla Kahn lacks. It is a poem of great sadness about the dire consequences of faith; yet, I still prefer Kubla Kahn.

As for my third favorite poem, it begins, "There once was a man from Nantucket."