Only Poets Read Poetry
Only poets read poetry,
as only singers sing the song,
only Adam chose the apple,
poor Eve was dragged along.
The clouds can rain their poison
while my child plays ring-a-rose,
the crosswords are getting harder
or I’m dumber than I suppose.
Train timetables confuse me,
and my teachers were all wrong,
only poets read poetry,
only singers sing the songs.
rich and sparkling
Thanks Opoetoo, nice to ‘meet’ you.
I used to hate rhyming poetry with a vengence but I think I’m coming around. I thought this was refreshing. Just what I need as I’m starting work.
I hate doggerel and Bon Jovi type obvious rhymes, I don’t like when poets get stuck in one form for too long. Sometimes rhymes just fall into place. I’m glad you found it refreshing.
i think i can see where it is coming from. quit depressing. though the poem itself was, as said, refreshing and nice to read. i felt like on school trip.
I don’t know about depressing as much as it is statements of progress, which in themselves are depressing. Refreshingly depressing or depressingly refreshing? It’s all a matter of perception
Yes, I agree! And once again, the clever rhyme adds so much.
Interesting to wonder, at an exposure/communicative level, if only poets read poetry, then surely now we’re making the whole world into poets with out access to the internet?
No longer a localised problem of the past, where as an poet in Oz you may have been mostly read by Australian poets, now with blogs etc, we can be read by a host of international poets too
I think these blogs are great as a feedback forum and getting work out and read. I admit that I did write the first line with dual meaning, either the negative ‘poetry isn’t read by many’ or the positive ‘anyone who reads a poem becomes a poet, either through inspiration to write or change of outlook’. The poet word is at the same time highly esteemed / sought after and also bandied around too much and too easily, diluting its meaning. Remember the discussion at Graham Nunn’s site after he posted the Bob Dylan quote ‘I think a poet is anyone who wouldn’t call themself a poet.‘?
Yeah, true – I do remember, that Bukowski comment was hilarious, but so true.
Sorry, should read ‘with our‘ access to the internet!
That’s cool, I understood. It is amazing the access we can gain and grant through these little screens on our desks.
I came back after seeing some comments.
Just wanted to say that if you had asked me earlier I would have said the poem didnt rhyme .
In my memory it only flowed.
I am easily distracted but I did catch the dual meaning.
I enjoy your comments here and elsewhere.
peace
Thanks Opoetoo, I am enjoying reading your blog.
Great piece Mark. The truth in this rings clear as a bell… Enjoyed the little discussion between you and Ashley as well… it’s true, we all need to read more. The reading of poetry is as much an art as the writing of it. You are dishing up some amazing words Mar. 2010 is looking like it is going to be creatively big!
Thanks Graham, that is a valid point regarding the reading of poetry is an art form. Thank you for the encouraging words, I am hoping for a big 2010.
Yes! Reading (and discussing poetry) is often the best part of it, good point Graham.
It is, as I wrote in response to Shari below, it’s great to get into a discussion which opens up all different interpretations.
Oh no, now you’ve done it! I’ll be back to read this many times, I am sure. I’ve been charmed by the cadence and now I’m not sure if I’m up or down.
Hey Danielle, I guess it’s the angle you choose to take, you should only feel down if there is something that effects you that you cannot affect. I choose to look at it as an evaluation of the present but it doesn’t have to remain so, as poets do we choose the art because of its obscurity or because of the art itself?
Good question. I think both–the obscurity makes it all the more precious, don’t you think?
The obscurity makes it more precious? Indeed, does this make it our little secret, in which case the first line should be ‘only poets should be allowed to read poetry?’ Sorry, on a twitter review I received once it was said of my poems “more questions than answers”!
Ah, think we’re looking at obscurity in two different ways (aren’t words fun??) I meant that good poetry is hard to come by, therefore obscure…not that good poetry is obscure in meaning (though it can be)….
I think poetry that makes the reader ponder is a good thing, and that any reader of poetry becomes a poet, even if only momentarily while reading:)
It’s fun to play with words with double meanings, I thought of obscure as arcane. I agree, a good poem forces us to slow down, maybe this is a barrier to readership with today’s desire for instant gratification. I think Gaston Bachelard defined a good poem perfectly. And, as you say, good poetry is hard to come by, a sad indictment of market forces in the publishing industry, this is something I ranted over in my post ‘This Will Be Our Independence Day‘ quoting 2005 book sales figures in the UK.
‘The reading of poetry is as much an art as the writing of it.’
I absolutely agree.
Although how should we differentiate ‘only poets read poetry’ from ‘only the elect can read poetry’?
Hi Stu, is that a third meaning you’ve just extracted from the line? Only certain people can read poetry? Is the answer to all three meanings held within the control of the poet? What is the actual cost of making poetry more accessible, and who bears that cost? Oh dear, I think I’ve gone cross-eyed!
Great poem Mark! It sparked happy contemplations for me. I read it a few times and just kept smiling at the commentary on the present, and the contemplation it sparked about who are the poets. The comment exchanges are entertaining and insightful too.
Thanks Shari, I’m glad it evoked happy contemplations for you. I have really enjoyed the commentary on this piece, I appreciate any discussion that opens a piece up to interpretations that I had not considered.
love the twist on the apple myth, ’bout time Adam got a spanking too… this is a great poem Mark, provoking a wonderful discussion
Thanks Gypsy, I just wanted to give the myth a bit of a spin, Eve and her representatives have copped a hammering for too long.
Great poem, Mark… Lyrical and evocative. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Janine, nice of you to call in. I look forward to having a look at your blog.
Very much like this. It is reminiscent of the fleetwood mac song Dreams where the line goes: Players only love you when they’re playing. I like the statement made here. Like minded people lean towards like minded people.
Thanks Danny, good Fleetwood Mac reference.
unfortunately it’s not only poets who write poetry! but in a world where “it’s Art if I say it is” I SAY THIS IS A SMASHING WEE POEM, a small crystal of an idea clearly laid out. good work.
Thanks Primate, nice to meet you.
“Hi Stu, is that a third meaning you’ve just extracted from the line? Only certain people can read poetry? Is the answer to all three meanings held within the control of the poet? What is the actual cost of making poetry more accessible, and who bears that cost? Oh dear, I think I’ve gone cross-eyed!”
I think these are all important questions. Is the writing and reading of poetry restricted to an elite? Should it be? Who is pushing an elitist agenda? Et cetera, et cetera.
Personally I try to strike a balance between strangeness and accessibility. I like attempting to be wildly experimental some of the time, although I may not publish these experiments. Different poems for different audiences, etc. It might be true to say that I’m writing only for other poets, if by poets we mean people who possess a poetic imagination and an open mind, not necessarily those who write poetry themselves.
Good point, we write to the poet that rests in everyone, some people just choose to leave it at rest. I like to write in different styles depending on what I am trying to convey, I’ve started playing with visuals and sometimes I fall into rhyme, I never to deliberately appear obscure, but the voice decides, I have no say in it.