Poetry Precis #3 - "Do You Have Any Advice for those of us Just Starting Out?" by Ron Koertge

In Ron Koertge’s poem, “Do You Have Any Advice for those of us Just Starting Out?,” by using playful imagery he tries to relate the writing to the reader and show the importance of not staying within one environment while learning how to write, and rather get up and explore the outdoors for ideas. In the first stanza he writes, “Leave your house or apartment. Go out into the world.” The first advice that the writer gives, is to leave from your normal environment and venture out into the world around you. Do not stay in the box, rather think outside the box. He recommends bringing along a notebook, but a “cheap one is best,” and with it on the, “front a kitten or a spaceship.” This relates most to the reader, because we all go school supplies shopping and pass by the kitten or spaceship notebook in the aisle at Target or Office Depot, but rarely do young adults reach for the notebooks with the childlike covers. Here, Koertge begins using childlike imagery to create a playful and imaginative atmosphere; mood. A child symbolizes an imaginative and open-minded being since children are beginning to learn about the world and have not experienced anything for themselves yet; therefore, their minds are open to anything and they are constantly imagining and coming up with new ideas. The next place that Koertge mentions something in accordance to a child is in the fourth stanza when he says, “the perfect place in a library is near an aisle where a child a year or two old is playing...” Koertge goes as far to say, that when exploring and learning, you should surround yourself with children while they are playing to see the way they act and react to the objects they play with. The author compares the reader to the child. The reader needs to “play,” or interact with the outside world and really get a feel of it. The child will often, “pull books from the bottom shelf... Red book on black, gray book on brown, he builds a tower.” This refers to the reader. Start gathering outside information and form your own ideas and keep building upon them, like the child. But, “when the tower falls, be like that child. Laugh so loud everybody in the world frowns and says, “Shhhh.” This shows the surrounding people’s disapproval, “the world frowns,” on those who act in childlike manners, or go outside the norms of the natural society. Even though, all odds will be against you, be like the child and, “then start again.” Most of the time, when we fail, we do not dare to repeat our mistake and are afraid to try again, but a child will keep rebuilding the same tower over and over until it finally stands tall, without falling; therefore, be like the child. The advice Koertge is trying to relay over to the reader is, when starting out, go open-minded into the world and do not be afraid of your work failing or not succeeding, because once you venture out, there are always more ideas out there. Through the use of childlike imagery, Koertge shows the reader the importance of using our minds and being open to trying over and endless ideas.