ka-ching!
I honestly know less than nothing about poetry. It’s kind of like modern art that way, I know what I like, I have no idea why and it’s probably the wrong opinion from a critic’s perspective. The only difference is, I’ve never tried my hand at modern art (unless you count my crayon scribbles on the Wagamama’s menu I left their last Friday night).
I’ve also never tried to write a book. I have however had a little go at poetry (see other emails). Which means I know for certain it’s not as easy as “I could do that” (famous lines overheard at the Tate Modern, Southbank London).
I’ve been told Ka-Ching is about America’s obsession with money. I just thought it was about money and being a woman. All poems by women are “about being a woman”, and I’ll leave that thought there.
The first section is a set of poems written on play money bills. Fun! Apparently, the poem is limited in length by the size of the money, a symbol of money limiting art and speech. These were, initially intriguing? Not my mostest favouritest of the book! I had a stronger penchant for Duhamel’s more personal perspective poems: the E-bay sonnet, Delta Flight 659, and the heart-breaking Apple (the best of the bunch in my opinion!!!) They’re written under the guise of a chuckle, when in truth they aim to touch, and be touching. Duhamel starts with a specific scenario, a tiny pointillism dot of a situation (like shopping for a winter coat online) and builds outwards until it becomes a poem about a big large grand tall topic: money.
I did notice something funny. All by my big girl self. On the first page after the inside cover, in tiny, Times New Roman: Copyright @2009. I’ve seen the Big Short, so this was written during the financial crisis (?) maybe?. I’m sorry to say my brain cells only get me this far, what this therefore means about the deeper significance of these money poems is beyond my analytical capabilities.
if you enjoyed ka-ching! you might enjoy:
sex & rage
Eve Babitz
hot milk
Deborah Levy