Almost a Reckoning

I liked Jimmy Carter when he was President and, surprisingly, I still like him after reading his book of verse, “Always a Reckoning” (Times Books). There are 44 poems in the slim volume, each illustrated by a 16-year-old named Sarah Elizabeth Chuldenko. In many cases, the drawings are more “poetic” and moving than the poems.

Carter is not a good poet but he’s not awful either. A workshop might shake up his rhythms and teach him to choose his words and images more carefully. He writes about friendship, racism, ordinary country pleasures, hard work and the people he loves in flat, simple, cliched, often rhymed verse that conveys his feelings. He’s sentimental but honest. What shines through the mostly undistinguished lines is Carter’s decency.

Why do we read “poetry” penned by celebrities? Usually, we do not expect great work. We’re curious--can X write? We also read to learn more about the person. Even mediocre poetry can be intimate and revealing, like reading someone’s journal, letters or memoirs. Carter remains an important world figure whose poems have some historical and biographical interest. Few public figures even attempt poetry. Carter’s work, despite its technical flaws, shows a warm, caring individual, a sensitive man I would love to meet and talk to. I came away amazed that such a kindly, trustworthy gentleman ever got to be President.

But I am bothered by aspects of the process that Carter has participated in by publishing his book. We know, and I believe he knows, that he isn’t really a poet and that people buy his book and have him sign it, as I did recently, as a way of saying: “Thank you for being who you are.” Probably many autograph-seeking buyers won’t read past the first few poems. Others may like the book and find the work rewarding just because they do not know much about poetry, they like the man and the poems are easy. A few might even be led to read some real poetry after reading this.

What’s going on here is the celebrity-as-poet (or painter or novelist) syndrome, that fosters the illusion that making poetry or art is relatively easy and that anyone (famous) can knockoff a book on a plane or between movie takes. This suggestion, of course, does a disservice to genuine poets and poetry.

Carter’s recent book-signing appearance in Glendale was an experience. About 3,000 people showed up. After a 2 1/2-hour wait, my son and I finally got to stand for a moment in front of Carter. (It could have been a Jimmy Carter look-alike, that’s how fast we were moving.) I didn’t shake his hand and barely got in a shouted question. The reply, “See my assistant,” was absurd because she was even busier than he was.

When I called his publisher the next day to see if I could get Carter on my radio program (“The Poetry Connexion”), I was told he had already left for Dallas. Too bad. Anyway, how do you interview an ex-President you admire about his so-so book of verse, without insult or embarrassment? The answer: You don’t.