It seems the feminists really, really care about this issue, so I thought I’d indulge them with a little comparison between female and male poetry. In dealing with feminists, official credentials are always very important, so I chose former US Poet Laureate Kay Ryan, who, having been selected by the government, must surely be the cream of the crop. Ms. Ryan is a 60-something lesbian and English teacher at Marin College (and people wonder why boys are having a hard time in school…) who served as America’s official poet from 2008 to 2010, upon which she was succeeded by some guy named W.S. Merwin.

Following is one of her poems, featured in the NY Times upon her selection to be poet laureate.

HOME TO ROOST

The chickens
are circling and
blotting out the
day. The sun is
bright, but the
chickens are in
the way. Yes,
the sky is dark
with chickens,
dense with them.
They turn and
then they turn
again. These
are the chickens
you let loose
one at a time
and small —
various breeds.
Now they have
come home
to roost—all
the same kind
at the same speed.

Haunting imagery, I must say…

For purposes of comparison, I’ll go with one of my personal favorites — Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Here’s a passage from Kubla Khan:

In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea.

So twice five miles of fertile ground
With walls and towers were girdled round:
And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills,
Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree;
And here were forests ancient as the hills,
Enfolding sunny spots of greenery.

But oh! that deep romantic chasm which slanted
Down the green hill athwart a cedarn cover!
A savage place! as holy and enchanted
As e’er beneath a waning moon was haunted
By woman wailing for her demon-lover!

Is it fair to compare a poem about barnyard fowl with one about Kubla Khan? I’m not sure, but according to the US government Kay Ryan is one of America’s most distinguished poets. She is also a woman, and almost certainly a feminist.

Below are a couple videos, including “Turtle,” a reading by Kay Ryan (introduced by the insufferably sanctimonious Garrison Keillor), followed by Dylan Thomas reading “Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night”:

Kay Ryan:

Dylan Thomas: