Yesterday I beat up on modern poets. Today I publish one that I wrote for a lark yesterday; it's sort of a retort to imagined comments from poets angry with me, saying, "you're so smart, Bman, can you write a poem that meets some of your criteria for a true poem". I did it as you'll see below, expanding a metaphor that I've thought fits the attitude of modern liberals for decades.
The P-O-R Three, the Man and the Cow
O Nancy of pearls and wine and brie,
O’bama of wind and blath’r and scowl,
O Ried of des’rt and city of glee,
When you see Man of prosper’ty,
We know your mind’s eye does see
A cow dropping to its knee.
You will tax and tax,
To the max and max,
As a leech does a bleed,
As the vampire does feed,
You fix leechs more and more
To those men as cow’s herd of your,
To feed the hogs of your trough,
Until the cows all fall to rough.
Then with feigned grace all you three
Will scrape some leaches from backs
‘til said cows - Men - stand and be,
Slaves again to feed you tax.
***End of Poem***
Actions
Waiting. Still riding that Brontosaurus, looking for the next water hole. I think the model will give some sell orders if the S&P 500 nears 1200. Krypto is far outperforming the S&P 500 and most beefers managers. Good doggie ... here's a bonus biscuit.
Word of the Day
"Fie" - interjection [$10] archaic
Fie expresses 1. disgust, shame or a pretense of outraged propriety; 2. distaste or shock.
A Poem about P-O-R
Fie!
You lie!
Showing posts with label poetry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label poetry. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Problems in Poetry
Modern poetry has lost its bearings. One can't even call many published poems poetry anymore. They read more like prose arranged to fit a visual pattern, and perhaps are more like a form of word art now. They lack any rhyme or meter or internal poetic structures such as alliteration, assonance or consonance. The verses and stanzas seems unconnected to their clause or sentence structures, as visual word patterns govern.
Here's an example from a poem in this quarter's Paris Review: I quote the last line and first line of two stanzas.
From stanzas #1 to #2 -
...
against a stranger. Looming
looming up through
...
From stanzas #2 to #3 -
...
the Thames, at once
murky and aflame, I watched
...
Now why is the stanza broken there - intra sentence? Normally one would pause reading in such a break. But from the words and thoughts, there is no reason or rational or even emotion to cause a pause. My last clause [bold, italics] was more poetic that than the poem, having both alliteration and rhyme. Much modern poetry seems to be just prose arranged in a visual pattern, like crappy modern art.
Poetry should be the best words in the best places. Poetry is anchored by how it sounds when read or spoken, not how the words look on a page. Thus much "modern" poetry is not poetry at all.
An original modern poem like T. S. Eliot's The Waste Land contains much intricate rhyming and is littered with poetic devices, as well as meanings and allusions. Prose can have meanings via metaphors or allegory and make allusions for emphasis, but it's still prose until structured with poetic devices to sound good when read.
Calling a bunch of words of prose arranged on a page, a "poem", does not make it a poem. Poets: learn some prosody and read your poems aloud. If it sounds like a poem, it's a poem. If not, you're just writing visually artistic prose.
Word of the Day
"Caesura" - noun (plural caesuras) [$10] Prosody
Caesura means 1. (in Greek or Latin verse) a break between words within a metrical foot; 2. (in modern verse) a pause near the middle of the line. [shown on a page as the second part of the line being dropped down to the next line]
Here's an example from Wordsworth's famous poem, Tintern Abbey (I put in underlines to fill the space as the blog editor automatically strips out spaces beginning a line):
...
The guide, the guardian of my heart, and soul
Of all my moral being.
___________________Nor perhance
If I were not thus taught, should I the more
Suffer my genial spirits to decay:
...
There's a reason for that break: the prior thought/sentence ends and a new one begins midline. It's a real pause in the reading, not simply a visual construct.
Sentence: Too many modern poets use caesura for visual reasons when the construct should be confined to aural purposes.
Here's an example from a poem in this quarter's Paris Review: I quote the last line and first line of two stanzas.
From stanzas #1 to #2 -
...
against a stranger. Looming
looming up through
...
From stanzas #2 to #3 -
...
the Thames, at once
murky and aflame, I watched
...
Now why is the stanza broken there - intra sentence? Normally one would pause reading in such a break. But from the words and thoughts, there is no reason or rational or even emotion to cause a pause. My last clause [bold, italics] was more poetic that than the poem, having both alliteration and rhyme. Much modern poetry seems to be just prose arranged in a visual pattern, like crappy modern art.
Poetry should be the best words in the best places. Poetry is anchored by how it sounds when read or spoken, not how the words look on a page. Thus much "modern" poetry is not poetry at all.
An original modern poem like T. S. Eliot's The Waste Land contains much intricate rhyming and is littered with poetic devices, as well as meanings and allusions. Prose can have meanings via metaphors or allegory and make allusions for emphasis, but it's still prose until structured with poetic devices to sound good when read.
Calling a bunch of words of prose arranged on a page, a "poem", does not make it a poem. Poets: learn some prosody and read your poems aloud. If it sounds like a poem, it's a poem. If not, you're just writing visually artistic prose.
Word of the Day
"Caesura" - noun (plural caesuras) [$10] Prosody
Caesura means 1. (in Greek or Latin verse) a break between words within a metrical foot; 2. (in modern verse) a pause near the middle of the line. [shown on a page as the second part of the line being dropped down to the next line]
Here's an example from Wordsworth's famous poem, Tintern Abbey (I put in underlines to fill the space as the blog editor automatically strips out spaces beginning a line):
...
The guide, the guardian of my heart, and soul
Of all my moral being.
___________________Nor perhance
If I were not thus taught, should I the more
Suffer my genial spirits to decay:
...
There's a reason for that break: the prior thought/sentence ends and a new one begins midline. It's a real pause in the reading, not simply a visual construct.
Sentence: Too many modern poets use caesura for visual reasons when the construct should be confined to aural purposes.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Back in the Saddle
I returned from a fine trip to Amsterdam. I'll write a lot more later, but Amsterdam is very enjoyable city to visit - friendly people, wonderful sites, superb food and easy to get around. I recommend it for a vacation to anyone. We also saw Haarlem and The Hague on day trips - both were equally fine visits.
Soccer
Mrs. B and I both enjoyed watching a number of soccer games in the evenings after a long day of touring and a fine dinner. I suppose I am now as much of a soccer fan as I am of other major sports. [That's not a high bar, btw.] Soccer is an exciting sport to watch once one gets familiar with the rules and how goals are set up. In excitement, I compare it to baseball or hockey - both often have low scoring and long set-ups for explosive moments. Rugby is a better game, but ...
And to commemorate this conversion, I composed a triad of poems that also might qualify for a record short collection of poems. They are below, with titles in bold italics.
Goals
Nil.
Score 1st Half
Nil,
Nil.
Final Score
Still,
Nil,
Nil.
[I could not resist having a bit of fun at the expense of soccer :)))) ]
Actions
I checked the model this AM and Krypto might soon want to sell some emerging market stocks to put into cash. The model says do it, but I might wait another day or two to get a stronger signal.
Word of the Day
"Madstone" - noun [$1000]
Madstone means a stone supposed to have the power of allaying or curing the madness caused by the bite of a "mad" animal.
Sentence: Perhaps the next team Le Bleu of France should all wear charms containing a madstone to avoid the vicious infighting and dissension that seems to have been their downfall in this World Cup.
Soccer
Mrs. B and I both enjoyed watching a number of soccer games in the evenings after a long day of touring and a fine dinner. I suppose I am now as much of a soccer fan as I am of other major sports. [That's not a high bar, btw.] Soccer is an exciting sport to watch once one gets familiar with the rules and how goals are set up. In excitement, I compare it to baseball or hockey - both often have low scoring and long set-ups for explosive moments. Rugby is a better game, but ...
And to commemorate this conversion, I composed a triad of poems that also might qualify for a record short collection of poems. They are below, with titles in bold italics.
Goals
Nil.
Score 1st Half
Nil,
Nil.
Final Score
Still,
Nil,
Nil.
[I could not resist having a bit of fun at the expense of soccer :)))) ]
Actions
I checked the model this AM and Krypto might soon want to sell some emerging market stocks to put into cash. The model says do it, but I might wait another day or two to get a stronger signal.
Word of the Day
"Madstone" - noun [$1000]
Madstone means a stone supposed to have the power of allaying or curing the madness caused by the bite of a "mad" animal.
Sentence: Perhaps the next team Le Bleu of France should all wear charms containing a madstone to avoid the vicious infighting and dissension that seems to have been their downfall in this World Cup.
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