April is “Poetry Month”. I don’t know what unilateral body set that aside, but we’re stuck with it. Sorry “April is Jazz Appreciation Month” Your advocates just don’t work hard enough for your cause.
This got me thinking about comparing modern-day poets to their classical ancestors (Poe, Kipling, Dickinson, Whitman, etc.) I heard an interesting poem recited on Public Radio in front of a live audience. I didn’t get it. I don’t think the audience did, either. When the poet was done her recitation, there was a beat of stark silence before she softly jumped in and said, “That was a poem about China”. If only I could see the audience, to witness their eyes light up as they applauded; their applause disingenuously clapped, “Oh. I knew that. I think.”
I get it that poems don’t rhyme anymore. And I have come to terms with the fact that modern poems are absent of rhythmic meter (well, it does have almost all the letters of “rhyme” in there, so if you are search/replacing the word “rhyme”, you might as well purge “rhythm” while you’re at it.) Sorry, Scrabble players, who don’t have any vowels and are looking for something to score some big points. “Rhythm” is out. May I suggest “Myrrh”?.
Alas, I rant
Apologize I can’t
Understand I shan’t
Accept, I guess so.
(That was a poem about china)