Billy the Kid

On Michael Ondaatje

Michael Ondaatje’s poems as the outlaw Billy the Kid are unlike any collection of poems I have ever read before. There was such an in-depth immersion of Ondaatje in this character of his, “Billy the Kid,” that it was hard to fully comprehend the reason for the poetry. From what I gain of this author’s other works, Ondaatje is one to develop all aspects of the story in vigorous detail. I came into the reading of this book knowing very little of the story of Billy the Kid, so I let the text construct what it wanted on a blank sheet.
The book seemed to be conflicting between wanting a prose project and semi-structured poetry. I cannot understand the contrast between the poetry and prose, but it would seem as if the prose works were a background for the characters and the poetry is some sort of character development portion. The prose from pg.32-37 to me seemed almost purely informational, and then the switch to poetry allows for a small interpretation of the character’s mannerisms. The different photographs in between the written work come to legitimize the sort of journal feel that the collection seems to illustrate. The language remains consistent throughout, allowing the switches from prose work to poetry to remain subtle, establishing a flowing narration alongside poetic development. It is almost as if someone has broken up an autobiographic novel with some poetic notes.