Thursday, February 26, 2009

A Modern Poem

It’s time you wrote a
modern poem;
forget these songs and stories.
(Nice, perhaps, but do we need
more strophic allegories?)

You need to write a
modern poem
to elevate your station.
(No poet, friend, is worth his ink
sans vaunted publication.)

Why don’t you write a
modern poem
that’s brisk and faintly knotty?
Something that will captivate
discerning literati.

You should write a
modern poem,
like laureates deliver -
furtive, dark and delicate,
streaked with gold and silver.

Why won’t you write a
modern poem
that’s bold yet enigmatic?
(Ensconced within a paragraph,
opaque but still emphatic.)

Please, for me, a
modern poem,
a lingual whirling dervish!
(Modern poems do not rhyme.
It’s trite and amateurish.)

8 comments:

Karen said...

It doesn't matter what you write, it's always interesting, thought-provoking, lyrical, wonderful! You are the master of meter! I come here for a dose of you!!

I do understand the sentiment, though. I read other people's poetry and think I'm not complex or obscure enough. I love that you can take a similar feeling and turn it into a humorous poem.
Again, I say, it doesn't matter what YOU write, just so you DO write!

K.Lawson Gilbert said...

Well, we all know your poems are anything but trite and amateurish. I love the way you have done this poem - tongue in cheek. I do believe that you could write a poem about anything!

There's room in this old world for every kind and sort of verse that a body cares to write. Even the most well known modern poets, write rhyming poetry, now and then. (more often than you think) It is challenging to write them and wonderful to read them.

There's not a poem on your blog that I don't admire. They are all so intelligently written. The stories you tell, the images you create, the great use of language, et.al. ;)

Anonymous said...

Big applause from me, too! I love this poem, as I love all of your work. It's genuinely beautiful, and there's nothing trite about it. Yes, I agree that the tongue in cheek tone is excellent.

I can really relate to the subject of this poem. The "discerning literati" made me laugh out loud. I know those same people. They tell me that I'm too country or too "Southern," whatever that means. Those people are snobs, and many of the snobs have no talent. They only have connections.

Joaquin, you are doing wonderful work. And you're making a lot of people happy. I enjoy coming here every week to see what's new. It's always a treat.

RachelW said...

Love the ending! Too bad about snobbery. It ruins things. Write whatever you like; it will be appreciated.

Opaque said...

I love this poem!!! It is very well written and very interesting to read again and again. Keep it up!!!

Anonymous said...

you should write whatever your heart tells you to... your sharp mind will put into shape, in the end it's you in there.

I'm happy to have found you beneath your words :)

Jannie Funster said...

"Brisk and faintly knotty" love this line! Some good knots in it like these to get stuck forever in the reader's mind.

Amritorupa Kanjilal said...

Joaquin, I need to tell you something. I spent my weekend reading up all your poems. Out loud. In a clear voice while sitting on the roof. And I do not remember when I last had SO much fun.

When I got to this poem, I felt so ashamed of myself. The poem I was writing then was a ‘modern poem’ so to speak. I realized that I was just being lazy and stringing words together and trying to pass it off as a poem.

I immediately sat down to see if I could turn it into a REAL poem… I don’t know if I managed, but the result is on my blog- called Just Before The Storm. I am so much happier with it. Thanks for reminding me that modern poems are trite and immature and they do not rhyme. :)

you, in fact, have been much of my inspiration in recent times. The previous poem, Secrets Die A Lonely Death, is one in which I tried to use the rhythm pattern of Capstan. Thank you so much. I totally love being your friend(if I can call myself that) and reading you and being read by you.

and thank you for a lovely weekend.