What's your first thought

...when you look at this pic?


I'll add to this post once I finish the book.

*
June 28

I finished reading the book last night. Its conversational tone made the pages go by quickly. While I wasn't taken with many of the sample poems or his treatment of sound and form, I was impressed with the chapter called "Fine Tuning Metaphors and Similes."

Now to the pic above. The other day I was reading this book outside. Every time I got up to get a cup of tea or pull a weed or check out a butterfly, I put the book on my chair, face down. The last thing I wanted was a neighbour, relative or friend seeing that title. When I see someone holding a book, I always check the title. I know I'm not alone in this. Of course I giggled at my own silly pride every time I put the book down, but still it went face down. It's the word repair that gets me. Writers know revision is key, but I can only guess what the neighbours would think if they saw me holding a repair manual. I'm pretty sure I would not have picked this book off the shelf in my early days no matter how badly I wanted to. A Poetry Handbook, on the other hand, sat in my chair sunny side up. Its title respects my dignity.