Dear Alicia Ostriker 2020

Dear Chancellor Ostriker, 

I am writing to you because I love your writing style. Your intense imagery and specific details draw me in to your writing, especially in your poem “Pickup.” I can vividly picture the players moving “like neurons charging” (line 3) and can almost feel the “hard, pebbled, orange / and black” (8-9) basketball in my hands. The simplicity of the “hot asphalt and exhaust” (5) emphasizes the tactile nature of the game and the enjambed lines of the poem seem to run like the players themselves, building the energy and excitement of the game. In fact, only the twelfth and last line are not enjambed, and the twelfth line is further distinguished from the rest of the poem by its unique use of the “he” pronoun and contraction in the phrase “it’s all part of it” (12). I wonder, what is the significance of these aberrations? Is the contraction intended to highlight the variation between the twelfth line and the analogous opening phrase of “It is all about speed” (1)? 

Throughout “Pickup,” the tone remains casual and conversational, with references to “you” and “man,” almost as if the player is starting a dialogue with the reader. Was this your intent when writing the poem, or is the speaker simply talking to an unnamed person? Either way, the “we” and “our” pronouns throughout the poem emphasize the strength of the relationship between the players, and overall, the voice of the pickup player communicates love and passion for the game. Sprinkled throughout the poem, dance metaphors-- from mentions of choreography to allusions to Nijinsky, a Polish ballet dancer-- reveal the beauty and grace of a pickup basketball game. To the players, the game is much more than a pastime; it is a form of art. The similes comparing the players to barn swallows and schools of fish reinforce the unity and natural finesse with which they form configurations on the court. 

In my English class this year, we’ve focused a lot on Billy Collins’ question “How does this poem travel through itself in search of its own ending?” Personally, I love the idea that there is somewhere a poem is going, because it implies that the poem is destined to arrive somewhere. Sometimes it feels as though a lot in life drifts by without a sense of completion, but “Pickup” weaves its way through descriptions of the court, dancers, and nature to arrive at the conclusion of the player’s purpose: to convey a sense of understanding. Through simile, the speaker relates how “You could say // we slosh like waves in a bathtub,” (21-22), but reveals that regardless of its messy and chaotic appearance to outsiders, the game is more than about what “feels good” (23). The capitalization of the “you” reinforces the importance of the person whom the speaker is talking and the cruciality of their understanding. For the players, “there are no pauses in this game” (24) and the intensity of their game is matched only by the intensity of diction, loose sentences, and comma splices in the poem. The ending really resonated with me because I understand what it’s like to love something that some people seem to misunderstand. I play the violin and trombone, and I also like to write, and while I enjoy these activities in and of themselves, I often feel as though people do not comprehend the intensity or necessity of these pursuits. Like the players, “there are no pauses” when I’m practicing or sitting down to write a story. I write and make music because I need to express myself and be understood, not just because it “feels good.” 

After having read many of your poems, I am most interested by your experimentation with various voices and points of view. In some poems, the differences are obvious, such as the second person point of view in your poem “Insomnia,” but many of your poems remain in a first person narrative where the understanding of the speaker unfolds through the course of the poem, as it does in “Pickup.” One of my favorite parts of writing is getting to explore and develop different characters, and I was wondering how much of yourself you put into the voices of the different speakers of your poems. Does the inspiration come mostly from within, from the people around you, or are they entirely fictional? 

Lastly, I have one final question about “Pickup.” What is the significance of their ancestors being farmers? I understand that there is a connection between the barns and the barn swallows, but is it to emphasize the players and their ancestors’ mutual appreciation for formations or to illustrate that the players have the freedom to create the beauty that their relatives could previously only appreciate from a distance? 

Thank you again for your time and for sharing your poems with the world.

Sincerely,

Elise 
Grade 11
Edina, MNA 

Dear Mrs. Ostriker, 

Upon my first listening of your poem, I immediately was captivated by the scene you paint. I could see myself in my local downtown court, not only smelling exhaust of the cars going by, but also feeling the energy and exhaust radiating from each of my fellow players. While I was listening for the first time, I thought the poem was about perspective, about how, to someone who might not understand basketball, the “sound and pound, the lope we adopt,” might just seem as random as fish darting around to a human, or Nijitsky’s ballets to someone who isn’t familiar with ballet and its beauty. Once I finished your poem, though, I realized I had not even begun to unlock the meaning behind this beautiful scene. “the way we play it, there are no pauses in this game.” Wow. Suddenly, I realized this wasn’t about a basketball court at all. This was life and the way that life rhythmically ebbs and flows like waves in a bathtub. Suddenly, the “sound and pound,” was a way of representing the way that life goes. Ups and downs, turning, leaping and swiveling, but life doesn’t take a break. Somehow, you can step on and off of that basketball court, but your destiny will never wait for you to catch up. 

The nobility of a basketball game also struck me. You started by describing the elements that make a good game. Somehow in this intellectual description of the game, you used neurons to continue the painting of a picture. The game has choreography, it is noble, but then suddenly you bring the reader back to earth with a harsh depiction of the scene where this noble game is taking place. Chainlink fence. You spelled it without a space, whereas normally it is spelled chain link. This to me is a part of the flow of the poem, bringing the reader back to the reality of this game. It does not look like a game of neurons, or proper grammar, or a place where Nijitsky’s work would be at home. There is exhaust on the court, the ball is pebbled and hard, but somehow, “when we swivel it is a whiplash, when we pass it is a cannonball.” In my head, the game continually switches from a grimy affair to an intellectual activity similar to chess without the pompousness. Then again you mention Nijinsky, but then I am suddenly hit with an image of shoulders and butts being slapped. What is this? A sterile beautiful affair, with passes like whiplashes and leaps like Nijinsky, or is it a grimy, dirty game, with hard balls and concrete and chainlink fence? Could it be both? 

Thank you,

James 
Grade 11 
Baltimore, MD 

Dear Mrs. Ostriker, 

I am Pranavi a Middle Schooler in Portland, Oregon. 

I don’t usually connect with a poem so deeply but your poem especially caught my eye. Your poem makes me think of the basketball I play. Since I am a girl, people honestly do not expect me to play basketball. Every single aspect of this poem reminds me of outdoor basketball on almost a spiritual level and I can’t get enough. Even though your poem is mainly about boys, I a girl, however, can relate on most instances which makes me feel especially grateful. Thank you. 

I personally have never actually seen poems talk about basketball so insightfully so this is new to me. One line that really spoke to me is “it was all about speed and flexibility, about speed and flexibility and teamwork and accuracy” which really does explain the work and effort put into basketball. Contrary to popular belief, basketball is not so simple and this line especially shows how important “speed and flexibility” with the repetition. I also especially like that it is in first person shown with the word “we” because that really explains how the whole team is hustling, not just one person. 

After reading this I started wondering about your inspiration for this poem. Are you into basketball like me? And if you are what would your advice be for me to be balanced? How can I find a balance between my interests and gender stereotypes? Sometimes when people first talk to me, they think I am a troublemaker because I am not as ‘girly’ as other girls. Especially since I am not really interested in what girls are interested in like pop singers or girly clothes. I prefer hip hop/rap over ‘girl singers’ which makes people consider me as ‘edgy’. Even though it does not bother me that much, I just don’t want people to get the wrong idea and think of me as something that I am not. 

I also worry about something else. My basketball playing has decreased a lot because I have become busier lately. I was wondering if there was something I could to motivate myself to play more basketball. 

Sincerely, 

Pranavi 
Grade 7
Portland, OR 

Dear Alicia Ostriker, 

Because of my love for sports and soccer in particular, your poem, “Pickup”, stands out to me in the most mesmerizing way. While I’m not an all-star basketball player, the imagery that you present in this poem captivates me and makes me feel like I am indeed playing on a “hot asphalt” basketball court. I can feel the rough basketball in my hands, the heat absorbing into my shoes from the asphalt, and the pounding of the basketball with each bounce. To grasp and go into this particular detail of imagery in your poem, did you simply observe a basketball game, or do you have a more personal love for the game and remember how each moment felt on the basketball court? When I write a poem, it’s not enough to draw on my own memory of experience; I need to physically surround myself with my subject matter. Even though I have played soccer since I was a little girl, if I were to write a poem about my love for the sport, I would have to physically drive to my school and sit on the soccer field in order to correctly describe the feelings I would experience while playing. Do you have a similar process when writing, or are you able to recall these moments from memory? 

I love the energy and rhythm conveyed in this poem. I especially enjoy the essence of team spirit you create with the line, “when the ball goes in we slap each others’ shoulders and butts”. To me, this is very relatable because in soccer we always give our teammates support through “love taps” on the shoulders or our backsides. Throughout our games, we play with such a team mindset, recognizing one another for outstanding plays, just like the players in your poem. For a piece entitled, “Pickup”, your poem, with its references to choreography and schools of fish, speaks not to an individual playing a game of pick up ball but to a team. Was this intentional or accidental on your part? Regardless of your answer, it is the energy surrounding a team and the fast-paced nature of the game depicted in your poem that I love so much. 

Like many student athletes, my soccer season was cut short this year because of COVID-19, and your poem enables me to relive those moments on the field and reminds me about the value of teamwork, which is what I will miss most about my season. Thank you for taking the time to read this and stay safe out there, whether on the basketball court or on the soccer field.  

Sincerely, 

Kathryn 
Grade 11 
Gastonia, NC 

Dear Ms. Ostriker, 

I listened to you read "Pickup" and my mind flew to many places in slow motion. I could feel my heart beginning to beat faster in every move to get the ball in the hoop. I imagined my teammates moving like a flock of birds or fish darting so quickly to defend me. What specific moment was in your mind when you read this poem? Was it the same moment you imagined in the many times you read the poem before? Thank you for taking me on this journey! 

From, 

Maira 
Grade 6
Des Plaines, IL

Dear Ms. Ostriker, 

To say it most simply, I love your poem “Pickup”; the imagery, the metaphors, the pacing - all of it wrenches my attention into the page and fills me to the brim with awe and understanding. But, what initially brought my attention to this poem was your perfectly imperfect personality. When I watched you read your poem and you messed up on one of your words (something we have all certainly done), I was struck by how you laughed, shrugged it off, made a joke, and let our human tendency to mess things up shine through. Out of all the poets in Dear Poet Project, you stood out to me, not only because your joyous personality made me smile, but because it reminded me that we are all human, and even those like you, who can boast a multitude of accomplishments, make mistakes. Your imperfect, joyful nature compelled me to empathize with you on a deeper level that only humans, with our flaws and all, can reach. 

For “Pickup” itself, I find myself drawn to the lines where the language register shifts such as the lines, “We move/ like neurons charging in your head, man,/ choreography from the ground up,” and “or a school of fish, you know the way fish dart/in unison,”. You fluctuate from scientific, sophisticated words like “neurons”, “choreography”, and “unison” to casual terms that we use in everyday speech such as “man” and “you know.” These casual words and phrases pull me out of the technical, rigid structure of your description of basketball and provide me with a sense of emotion and depth in the piece. I was taught in theatre that words like “oh” or “man” that doesn’t have specific meanings are used as placeholders for emotions that we can’t process in words. This is how I interpreted your use of register shift: it provides deeper insight into the emotion of a basketball player that cannot be represented with scientific words, tactics, or descriptions. The sensation of dunking the ball, hearing that you are going to start, huddling with a mass of sweating bodies - those feelings cannot be replicated with the scientific language that is needed to express some parts of the game. The casual language adds a layer of empathy to my understanding of the poem. Furthermore, the casual phrases “you know” and “you could say” engage me even more into the poem, almost like you are there, talking to me; it draws me in and provides me with a more personal, one-on-one connection with the poem. This is similar to the video of you reading the poem: that human moment of messing up on a word gave me insight into your personality - who you are and how you react when you aren’t rehearsed - and formed a more personal connection with you and your poem just like the register change does. I certainly don’t know you or your poem, but I enjoy having a more personal connection with “Pickup” through your use of the register shift.  

I used to play basketball (I have since stopped to pursue volleyball), and your passion, dedication, and awe of the game of basketball seem akin to that of a dedicated player. So, I have to ask, did you ever play basketball, and if so, were you as amazed by it as “Pickup” makes it seem? Also, I know that each poem is different for everyone, and we all experience it in our own ways, but, I would like to know, for you, does this poem have a deeper meaning beyond basketball? Does “the game” and “the players” represent something else, or is this poem just a dedication to the synchronization, choreography, and brilliance of basketball? Thank you for your beautiful writing and personality. 

Sincerely,

Lauren 
Grade 10 
Houston, TX