(Ah, a co-editor; that must explain things.) I really must be missing something here, because this is less a poem than a really dumb joke. (So, please, anybody, if there’s something obviously worthy in this poem that I’m missing, please leave a comment.) Otherwise, this is just awful. (And the following poem isn’t much better, although the jokes are.)
Nestling Robins by Ted Kooser
A barbershop quartet? Umm, Ted, meet the 21st century, 21st century meet our Poet Laureate. Wonder why there are some who think poetry is dead? Well, this laureate’s consciousness almost is. OK, enough mean-spirited fun; back to the poem. The actual descriptions are OK. I like the silence at the end.
In Pencil by Erik Sweet
Everything hits the right note except for ‘elevator shoes’. That seems somewhat forced, unlike the rest of the poem. Which weaves in and out of narrative nicely. But, overall, lightly.
5 comments:
(Being a co-editor at Hanging Loose Press might explain the publication of Robert Hershon's book. It might also explain why his book was sent to Poetry Daily. It does not explain why those editors chose these two poems to feature on their site today.) I love "Illusions of Paradise." It sounds to me like a found poem, its minimalistic style appropriate for the subject matter. Hershon could have continued with other stanzas, concerning similar illusions, but he didn't, and we can only evaluate what he wrote. The music of the three lines is lovely, the joke a bit ambiguous, which adds to its charm. The poem is truthful and fun. I'd give it three stars for the poet's ability to accomplish so much with so few words.
I'm with you, Greg. That poem is junkity junk. Reminded me of this: http://www.slate.com/id/2111054/
(True enough: nothing explains why they chose the first one.) Well, Helen, I could be a wise guy, and suggest they should have left it lost, but I won't. But thank you for letting me know your take on it. I still can't see the music, charm, truth, and fun that you see, but I suppose if I try hard enough, I can understand, at least, your view......sorry, no I can't, but I tried. But different strokes for different folks.
Steven, incredibly that Ferry is even worse!!! Amazing! If you or I had submitted that, err, poem, I think they would have blackballed us for eternity. Or at the least, if we had submitted by email, they would have reported our address as a spammer.
I didn't click the link, but what's even more amazing, there's audio!!! Unbelievable! And it wasn't even posted on 4/1!
I actually listened to the audio back when I first saw that Ferry poem, mainly because I wondered whether they had accidentally cut off the actual poem. Nope, that's it.
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