the poet like an acrobat
climbs on rime
to a high wire of his own making
Lawrence Ferlighetti
I might compare him
to a freedom-fighter
or terrorist
words strapped to his chest
in place of bombs
finger on the trigger of his pen
ready to spill ink
Or to something sweeter
and more simple
a queen bee
laying her poems like larvae
nurtured on nectar
in the heart of a hive
But I believe poets are the remedy
for the hidden plague
of verbal degradation
panacea for the blighted art
when functional illiteracy
rules the world
Day 16 ~ COMPARE
Anmol is our host of the Tuesday Platform in The Imaginary Garden today, inviting us to honour the centenary of Lawrence Ferlinghetti.
words strapped to his chest
ReplyDeletein place of bombs
- oh the imagery of that line!!! Gave me goosebumps!
Thank you. It is a harsh image, but necessary to make a point that the pen is mightier than the sword.
DeleteAh, that is such a cool poem! I love how you captured the dedication as well as the remedial need in these words. It's so effectively done with a very interesting imagery and a certainly liberating voice. "panacea for the blighted art" is a perfect enforcement.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Anmol. With the art of language under attack in the age of tweets and social media, poets are needed more than ever. Literacy is at an all-time low in my 30 years experience as a teacher.
Delete"panacea for the blighted art," .. this is so apt an image, Kerry! Gorgeously rendered!📝🔥❤️
ReplyDeleteOhhh yeah....what a great inspiration this one is. I think you nailed it with apparent...and maybe not...ease. That larvae stanza is so awesome. Great work SA. You are one of the greats.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Corey. I just write down what I see and understand in/of the world.
DeleteOh WOW!!!!!!! This is wonderful! The poet as terrorist, or bee, but especially as panacea for the blighted art when functional illiteracy rules the world. Best description of our current woeful political situation as I have ever read.
ReplyDeleteI am acutely aware of the drop in literacy, in my line of work. Students are becoming very resistant to learning.
DeleteI like the image of the poet as a bee. Since I started keeping bees, I have become more intimate with them. I also like the image of the finger on the trigger of the pen. Yes, we need to be more willing to spill ink. To say what we really mean instead of prating about constant pretty romantic images, living in nature and hiding our power in our back pockets.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you like the part about the bee.. i was unsure of that stanza.
DeleteThis is so wonderful... I think a remedy for a lost world of word is the poet's true mission.
ReplyDeleteI agree but fear it has become a dying art.
DeleteFunctional illiteracy...you are right on the mark with that. One has only to spend a little time on social media to observe the extent of the problem. We've a "horseshoe" mentality now. If you're somewhere close to the correct spelling of a word, the reader can probably figure out what you meant, and we say that is good enough. Poets--and especially the legendary ones of the past-- remind us of an age when literacy mattered.
ReplyDeleteI am aghast at how quickly language is eroding.
DeleteI loved the Beat poets, especially Ferlighetti. And I love "finger on the trigger of his pen". Boy.... a poet's fighting words!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Yvonne. That is quite a controversial image, so i am glad it made a point.
DeleteThere are so many lines to love. The poem hits where we need to listen. I can't believe the illiteracy the world is plagued with. It is all follow and not lead.
ReplyDeleteSo true... I wonder if we are not too late.
Deletegrade, degrade, retrograde... grade-uates. ungrade-fuls.
ReplyDeletewhat a world... ~
retrograde graduates in my experience.
DeleteI love the contrast of the stark contemporary image of a freedom-fighter or terrorist with the gentle more classical image of a queen bee, Kerry, and the shift from major to minor tone. The final stanza comes as a surprise with the plain truth of the ‘hidden plague of verbal degradation’. Writers have a huge job on their hands to overthrow functional illiteracy, especially when the majority of humankind doesn’t give a **** about bees!
ReplyDeleteHa! You are so on point with that observation, Kim.
DeleteMay it be so!
ReplyDelete"panacea for the blighted art,"
ReplyDeleteGreat line in a poem filled with wonderful thoughts.