Reading Retreat: INFORMATION DESK by Robyn Schiff
Have always been curious about this “ambitious book-length poem set at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s information desk,” because every time I’m in New York (not that often, since the pandemic began), I did make it a point to always go to the Met. It may be cliche, but I found some peace in the midst of beauty there, so I try to grasp it again whenever I’m in that city. I remember the Info Desk at the Great Hall because the first time I went there with my sister and best friend, all newbies, where we only had 2 hrs to spend in the museum, we went to the Info Desk to ask 1) which galleries they’d recommend for a short visit and 2) how long DOES it take to see all the galleries? The second question earned us a chuckle and the reply, “I’d say 7 days.” To which we goggled, “Seven days?!??”
I understand now that they were right.
This poetry collection, though, is alas not going to be one of my favorites, though I did find some line breaks cool and interesting. Also enjoyed the bit of insider info (Schiff being a former employee of the Met, working yep, at the Great Hall’s Info Desk), and learned a couple of things.
Pics of some of the parts that I found curious or liked:
