An opinionated look at current events, culture and faith, since 2005 telling you what to think and why to think it about everything that really matters.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Somewhere Walt Whitman Is Slowly Shaking His Head
The best that can be said of this is that it was better than Nikki Giovanni's so-called poetry:
Just stumbled upon this, thought I'd give my two cents: It's not as bad as you say. Matt, there are no Robert Frost's besides Robert Frost. Chief Grinder, enroll your 12 year old in an MFA program right away! Elizabeth Alexander is a brilliant poet and everyone has their own reading styles-her's is just a little slow (for impact of course). Poetry and art are very subjective, might not be your taste, but it's certainly not bad.
Poetry is about taste, but good grief, can we have at least one arresting image, one original turn of phrase, one device skillfully used, one turn of phrase worthy of memory?
We note as well that this is but our third inaugural poem. Messrs. Kennedy and Clinton celebrated themselves with the first two. And Frost's work on the first one wasn't up to his usual standard.
The only good poems about a President were written by Whitman, and Lincoln had to get himself killed for that to work.
11 comments:
Yeah that was pretty weak...my 12 year old could write circles around her
I heard a journalist report that she said she worked really hard on it.
All I could think is that my wife delivers more compelling readings to second graders. It was as though Stephen Hawking was reading it.
Perhaps there was a poetry lottery of which I was unaware.
I don't mean to insult so much, but I've studied Robert Frost, I've read Robert Frost, and Ma'am, you're no Robert Frost.
Painful, completely painful, and I was trying really hard to be objective, too.
Looks like the critics couldn't wait to bring out their knives.
I couldn't take it. I had to stop it before I went nuts.
Obama should have just put Blago up there to quote something from memory as he does at his press conferences these days.
Has SWNID resolved for this year not to blog so much?
I would like to amend your moratorium on inaugural poems: they ought to be allowed if the "poet" uses this.
I think this poem would put a Vogon to shame...
Just stumbled upon this, thought I'd give my two cents: It's not as bad as you say. Matt, there are no Robert Frost's besides Robert Frost. Chief Grinder, enroll your 12 year old in an MFA program right away! Elizabeth Alexander is a brilliant poet and everyone has their own reading styles-her's is just a little slow (for impact of course). Poetry and art are very subjective, might not be your taste, but it's certainly not bad.
Poetry is about taste, but good grief, can we have at least one arresting image, one original turn of phrase, one device skillfully used, one turn of phrase worthy of memory?
We note as well that this is but our third inaugural poem. Messrs. Kennedy and Clinton celebrated themselves with the first two. And Frost's work on the first one wasn't up to his usual standard.
The only good poems about a President were written by Whitman, and Lincoln had to get himself killed for that to work.
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