Billy Collins - The Lanyard

Complete video at: fora.tv/2008/04/07/A_Selection...
Former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins reads his poem, "The Lanyard."
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Poet Billy Collins is a unique literary figure - a widely read contemporary poet. The former US Poet Laureate and New York State Poet has received fellowships from the New York Foundation for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Guggenheim Foundation, though his most dramatic honors come from a wide and appreciative readership. Collins's poetry collections, including The Trouble With Poetry and Other Poems, Nine Horses, Sailing Alone Around the Room, and Picnic, Lightening, have broken records for poetry sales. His writing is marked by inventiveness beyond traditional poetry forms with ironic twists and lyrical turns of phrase that resonate powerfully. An advocate for integrating poetry into everyday life, Collins compiled the anthologies Poetry 180 and 180 More with poems for every day of a typical school year. Billy Collins has been a professor of English at Lehman College of the City University of New York since 1968 - City Arts & Lectures
Billy Collins is the author of several books of poetry and two anthologies of contemporary poetry, including The Trouble with Poetry: And Other Poems; The Arts of Drowning, which was a finalist for the Lenore Marshall prize; and Questions About Angels, which won the National Poetry Series in 1990. He is also a distinguished professor of English at Lehman College (CUNY). Collins served as US Poet Laureate (2001-2003) and as New York State Poet Laureate (2004-2006). Collins' poetry has appeared in The American Poetry Review, Harper's, The New Yorker, and The Atlantic, among many other journals and periodicals. He has received fellowships from the New York Foundation for the Arts, The National Endowment for the Arts, and the Guggenheim Foundation. He has won several awards and prizes.

[@siouxmckenna565]

The mother's gratitude was part of what allowed him to think, as a young boy, that the lanyard was enough. And that is yet another gift she gave him. I love this poem so much.

[@fossilwhite]

This poem had me crying by the end. I am the mother of two children with autism. I often worry that I’m not good or strong enough for them. But this poem made me stop and think for a moment. I have to be doing something right; my daughter loves to paint watercolor portraits for me, my son lets me into his world when he sits me down and lets me play trains with him and gives me his favorite one. Those simple, inconsequential things that are so often taken for granted by parents mean the world to me. That is how they show me love and helps me remember that I’m good enough. Thank you.

[@QuidamByMoonlight]

I love this poem. He deserved the Mark Twain award for humor. Absolutely brilliant! It's spot on in regards to the love a mother has for her child.

[@Havenscope]

Every time I read one of Collins' poems, I hear his voice as it is here.

[@Timbotunited]

same

[@satan4hire]

Lies

[@ctaylor41659]

And if I were to get that lanyard, I would wear it every day and know the love it represents. Thank you...this was wonderful.

[@sewashburn123]

to be able to transition so smoothly from sardonic wit to beautiful words that speak in earnest...billy collins, you are why i write

[@ohnoajellyfish]

I'm here because I took Mr. Collins' MasterClass and it was amazing!

[@MotherVoltaire]

One of my favorite poems. Thank you, Mr. Collins.

[@wrybred]

oddly, this poem, called the lanyard, is one of Collins' "lanyards", and a very respectable one at that. What more could any mother want, then a poet laureate son who deems himself unable to requite his mothers love, and writting so in a poem.

[@cedevita7069]

Who's here from Misha's tweet? 💖

[@Canesi12]

Me!

[@louisawilliams1287]

Mee!! 😂

[@kristengumm5111]

Meee

[@fallenpatato_1774]

Mee

[@yessicaugarte8145]

Same here

[@quasnoflaut7619]

I LOVE this poem, but I think I owe my mom a lanyard now...

[@butterquick]

As I have read this poem many times I have never found it to be comical. Although it is funny in the correct light, I see it as one of the greatest tributes and truths of motherhood.

[@hualian_baru]

I'm here because of Misha's tweet ❤

[@barbaraschutz5273]

Over the years, I have read many of Billy's poems; The Lanyard is the one I remember best.

[@jasmin0930]

I heard this many many years ago before the age of KZbin and laughed and cried and felt so moved by it I looked it up and printed it out and every so often I read it so no matter how you got here I am glad you are here 😁

[@filmsyoushouldbewatching]

hands down one of my all time favourite poems

[@Lava1964]

I heard this for the first time today--at a memorial service. I had to check out this video!

[@firesidechatswithluke6648]

I love this poem. It makes a gift for Mother's day.

[@AmorYMigas]

I still have a blue and yellow lanyard my son made at his camp!❤

[@rebecasandstrom6526]

I’m only laughing because I know I’ll be sobbing when I stop

[@saber1epee0]

So, I work as the First-Year Camper director at a Boy Scout Camp. I confess that I am responsible for the creation of several hundred lanyards per year. And I still don't really know what they're for.

[@Niamhy1314]

thank you Misha Collins for sending me here, what a great reading! XD

[@anancybrown]

I love this poem so much! Billy Collins is brilliant.

[@Shinnyuu2]

thats now one of my favorites

[@jordanday7841]

Such a beautiful poem

[@PerlaGiselle]

I cried.

[@miley24897]

Hi misha... Just leaving this here for when u visit again ❤️

[@etta1225]

Thank you, Jonas, for giving me this Mother's Day poem. I love you.

[@TracyNewmanOfficial]

This is just so brilliant.

[@tonyscoolstuff]

I've been recommended this guy by a friend, He's a good writer from what I gather so far. Enjoyed this poem. Funny and in places pretty touching.

[@skipreistad]

A beautiful poem, sent by a beautiful Son!

[@miladyretro]

Loved this very much! I need to see what other poems this man has written.

[@yashiAR]

Beautiful 💜

[@anoushkaroy8498]

Here from Misha Collins's tweet. And am I glad to have opened the link!

[@tientrinh943]

Reminds me of what I neeeded to be reminded of

[@DeeMowry]

😂loved this....where is my lanyard?

[@kjphilbrick5132]

Brilliant!

[@garymai]

I love this poem.

[@ikzzed2450]

Mishaaaa

[@PicturePerfectJames]

He is a treasure!

[@CynthiaMatsakis]

So good...

[@callieroberts5306]

Thank you..

[@ReBeEdJa]

I'm here because of my overlord misha collins

[@tamara-ke2el]

you too from twitter? 😂

[@ReBeEdJa]

@@tamara-ke2el yes from his twitter post yesterday :)

[@lumbeejojonativedaughterdi9770]

Wonderful

[@sunshiney99]

ah yes... one of my favorite by billy collins.

[@kadrir6573]

"Siin on sulle pael" :D Tänan, Hr. Collins. :)

[@doffrey5342]

A bunch of people are about to be here because of Misha Collins, so watch out!!

[@miladyretro]

Who? I just stumbled upon this when watching random videos, and I am very glad I did. :)

[@hualian_baru]

@@miladyretroYou're missing out if you don't know who Misha is

[@doffrey5342]

@@hualian_baru He's such an angel, isn't he?

[@miladyretro]

@@hualian_baru I doubt it because I never had any interest in following other people's lives when I have my very own to take care. I am sure he/she is an awesome person, but I'll pass.

[@Paul186]

I made one in the Cub Scouts. Only now I realize how little use those things were. His poem made me see my own funny seriousness about getting it right. It was a kind of magic, though. Billy Collin's imagination makes him great.

[@rievans57]

I like this poem. A small thing that makes a big impression.

[@dizmen.d6960]

.... Misha

[@anjameurer9708]

I'm here because the overlord told me so, but I confess, love the poem. Thanks misha collins

[@ashie9327]

Everyone say “Thank you Misha”

[@ChurlsBeardSmug]

I want to be an Award Winning Poet!

[@elizaheathen]

i love his baldness combined with wry wit.

[@therealdrag0]

Word.

[@SnowFire86]

I had to watch this video for my English class and I was expecting to be bored...Quite the contrary. I liked it a lot.

[@naushimathur5829]

Who's here cause of Misha?

[@larjitamohapatra628]

Me me me 😍😍

[@_Lauriane_]

I'm here thanks to Misha 😂

[@littlewisp]

I was just about to reply to that when I saw this. Glad I caught it or I would have felt silly and redundant. As for the stereotype, I think it exists for some people, but I don't think it has anything to do with Proust's petite madeleine in the Swann's Way Cambray (Overture), which Collins refers too in this WONDERFUL poem.

[@TheLastHylianTitan]

last thursday my Lit teacher openly addmitted in large group to all 150 Lit students that he had a mancrush on this poet. i don't blame him.

[@MattePurple1]

Billy Collins is alright, but I like the sentiment in this poem. I love my mom.

[@RobertPieh]

@tiff201208 I think you mean Shane K., as in Canadian poet Shane Koyczan. He did perform The Lanyard at WordsAloud, but forgot to give credit to Collins. He sincerely apologized for the mistake. I can see why, in this case, you might think it's one of his works. But no, it is most definitely a poem by Billy Collins.

[@aznviet93]

@doIsoundlikeicare wow, your emphasize is so concise. Reading your comment helps me understand the poem. :D

[@lightofdamon]

I find this poem to be aggresively hilarious, I laugh and cry uncontrollably when I hear this version, YIP

[@littlewisp]

Oh frabjous day!

[@tuberosehi]

@BillyCollins: You're going to get a lot of hits in the next few weeks, courtesy of @MishaCollins. #MishasMinions #mishamigos #GISH

[@wrybred]

man i gave my mom a bunch of "lanyards" in form of clothspin birdhouses, paintings, etc. But my mom really appreciated it. I think b/c it wasn't an attempt at repayment. Our efforts in most other respects were the repayment, I think. This gift was, it is true, some token of our appreciation however. But a token and not a full payment in a transaction. The fact that we dont really understand why we do it, especially due to someone elses suggstion is where Bill dupes us. Funny, none the less.

[@ljeffrie]

A better answer: This reference is certainly to the French novelist Marcel Proust's famous novel, Remembrance of Things Past. The narrator eats a sort of "cookie" (a "Madeleine") and is fully carried away into the past. Collins's poetry is full of such literary references. Who says French novelists are snotty?

[@innocentse]

@ljeffrie this is the answer for sure

[@n1kk1v1]

definitely a reference to Proust.

[@depressionkid0352]

good evening

[@TheodorusRex]

What I love about poetry is that I think this is terrible yet others like it.

[@octopuscollective]

forgive my ignorance but what is a laureate? are there biology or music laureates? or is the title reserved for poets?

[@browneyedbecca]

i dunno which's more kickass. lanyards... or billy collins.

[@uuihinjinn5122]

Hi

[@sallypotmeandfred]

It's interesting hearing it read out loud...I don't know if I see it as humorous as the audience did,(that is not to say that it's without humor). Putsit in another perspective that's for sure. I'm interested to hear other's thoughts.

[@tedsbackyard]

@losttribedreams Really?

[@SaltyTank07]

Anyone else think he sounds like Ben Linus from Lost?

[@withataman01]

Thanks mom :)

[@bham7bh]

Doug Wilson sent me.

[@oceanviewgal]

@octopuscollective Never ignorant to ask. Wikipedia has a good answer under Poets Laureate of the United States.

[@JerBushell89]

@wrathof ... at least you didn't try pretending to be nice...

[@staffordlad1]

This is a son,to his mom.

[@forkmanperson]

I'm here cuz of school

[@aspencrest]

Why would you throw up advertising text in the middle of the recitation? Seems so... thoughtless. Can't you just put that up at the beginning or end? You already have have the video branded.

[@depressionkid0352]

this is pretty among us sus airpod shotty

[@RobbyK]

okay, this is probably dumb, but I am not American, so I think It is okay to ask. Why is the fact that he gave her a lanyard funny? I found the poem nice, but can't get why the lanyard makes it funny. Is it because it is easy to make?

[@TomtomCable]

Robertson Klaingar it’s because of the insignificance of the lanyard, it’s not necessarily American thing, it’s because of the insignificance of string and paper which makes a lanyard and how he thinks it’s enough to repay his mother

[@dirkplankchest1796]

It's the childishness of thinking that a nearly valueless item is an adequate way of paying his mother back for all her hard work and investment relating to him.

[@godfrey_of_america]

It's not "funny". The reason those people in the audience were cackling is because they were morons.

[@dirkplankchest1796]

godfrey14, it's because it was intended to humorous.

[@mauriciogc96]

The cheerios one was better. I like cheerios and tacos.

[@dbfr2017]

@losttribedreams "Maybe if I sprinkle as many words I pulled out of a thesaurus and as much of my tangential knowledge of what is considered 'fine art' as I can, I will seem awesome and high-brow."

[@tiff201208]

this is from a poet in canada shane w.

[@bham7bh]

This makes me think of Jesus.

[@oceanviewgal]

@DBIYBIMWBIU Really? Really. Perhaps, you will become Poet Laureate, as well, and find a sense of humor.

[@fredbeloit5257]

Sorry, I'm not a fan.

[@IKUFL]

... an has two main themes. One is a parent's sacrificial love for her child that gives without expectation of reward. The other is the self-centeredness and naiveté of youth that accepts parental love and cannot ever offer adequate remuneration