Billy Collins Poetry

I’m sure we’ve all heard of Billy Collins at some point and time; whether it was on NPR or an ad on the Internet, everyone probably has come across him at some point. Why I say this is because he’s become such a known poet, he has performed for Congress after 9/11, sold many copies of his published works, and been named “America’s first truly poet since Robert Frost” and to be named that, that mean’s he’s made it. There might be some confusion as to why Collins is so popular if someone hasn’t ever actually read his poems or heard of him. His poems are so liked because they are “conversational, witty, quirky, tender, warm, and every day readings” (Poetry Foundation.) Collins, one of the best poets since Robert Frost, who is able to understand …show more content…
He does this so he can be the reader as well as the writer. He once said in an interview that he switches back and forth every so few lines to make sure the reader would know what he was talking about and to see if he likes it (Whitney.) Collins also stated that poems can have either no point or a very direct point; I think we can all conclude that this poem doesn’t have a very direct point, it’s more funny and laid back than some of his other poems. Whereas in his poem “Boyhood” he writes these lines: “Or better still, to close my eyes,/to stay there on the cold narrow rails/and let the train tunnel through me” which we can tell seems a bit more serious than the first poem. These two poems written by Billy Collins were great to compare because it shows his two different sides he has, which was mentioned earlier. In his poem “Boyhood” it’s serious, which would be his mother’s heart coming out into his poems; and in “Cheerios” it’s quirky and funny, light almost, which would be his father’s sarcastic and joking side coming out into his poems. These poems just show great comparison with how Collins can write. Though there is a great deal of imagery in both of these poems. I’m sure the reader can almost see Collins sitting in a diner or café, sipping his orange juice while his quirky and sarcastic side thinks about his same age as Cheerios. And in this second poem, he/she can imagine a little boy sitting on the floor of his room as he watches a train and imagines it disappearing in him. Collins once said that he writes to either be funny or to love, and these two poems are great examples of both sides of him. The poem “Shoveling Snow with Buddha” was once mentioned in an interview. They talked about the