Performance Poetry

In the New York Times Sunday Book Review, Jim Holt wrote an article called "Got Poetry?" about the pleasures of memorizing and reciting poetry. With wit and humor, Holt describes the process of memorization and the reasons for recitation. I often wish I were better at memorizing poetry. I wish this not because I think I'd be more culturally impressive as an individual; I wish this because I think I'd appreciate poetry a whole lot more if I memorized every line and recited it with emotional resonance. As it is now, though, I can barely memorize my own poetry to perform at open mic nights and poetry slams.