Saturday, March 6, 2010

Free Entry-Poems I Love

Here are a couple of poems that I really like from Bill Knott.

Advice from the Experts




I lay down in the empty street and parked
My feet against the gutter's curb while from
The building above a bunch of gawkers perched
Along its ledges urged me don't, don't jump.

Bill Knott


When I first read this poem, I literally felt myself looking over the edge of a building. The ending totally surprised me, and made me feel like I was falling. I love how Knott's words are so simple, yet so complex at the same time. Things are never what they seem in Bill Knott's poems, which is why I like him so much. Here is another one of his.

To Ripley (Alien 1-4)




Always your face like a space
(Destination: beautiful) ship
Empties its mote of closeup trace
Down screens that blink blank blip

Somewhere between countdown
And coma time is a line
Where waking centuries often
Drained against that measure we find

Our blood redshifts (direction: west)
Until film can clone one sun
With stars both whole and gone

Attending every sequel
We pray for an intent equal
To our interest

Bill Knott

Here is a song that I love; it is really old, but very touching and beautiful.

O God Beautiful
From Nanak’s Song

O God Beautiful; O God Beautiful;
At Thy feet, O I do bow.
In the forest Thou art green;
In the mountain Thou art high;
In the river Thou art restless;
In the ocean Thou art grave.
O God Beautiful; O God Beautiful!
At Thy feet, I do bow!
To the serviceful Thou art service;
To the lover Thou art love;
To the sorrowful Thou art sympathy;
To the yogi Thou art bliss.


My favorite part it the last line. I think this is a very beautiful, heartfelt devotional.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Found Poems in the Packet

I was extremely interested in Jena Osman's poem "The Periodic Table As Assembled By Dr. Zhivago, Oculist." I went and looked through it, and wanted to post a couple of the poems I found. I think that it is wonderful how an artist can be so creative with a found poem. I always thought that a found poem would be much like "Ready-Mades," where an artist finds an object that they find interesting, titles it, and slaps their name on it. This is wonderful, though. If you look at the poem online, Osman even gives quotes from Dr. Zhivago about the element, and pairs it with a picture.


Oxygen to Odds
workers breathe inequalities
realize the air captures
their minds
and chances


Technetium to Take cares
I was predicted. I was produced.
Bombarded, misnamed
and found in a star.
Celebrity is not easy:
False greetings and manufactured warmth.
"Handled in a glove box."

Thursday, March 4, 2010

My Found Poem

So, I know that my poem sounded like poo because I was having issues that day from lack of sleep. I couldn't read it, and stuttered. But here it is. Here is what the article originally said, and here is how I reused the majority of the words and just reworked them.

Original Article:

Pink

Pink flowers can often look a little on the sickly and gooey side,
rather cheap shop-bought cakes. However, if they are used
carefully, they can also look light and dreamy. I've tried to show
a variety of ideas with pink flowers. Pale pink double Angelica
Tulips, shocking pink Jacaranda Roses and mopheads od glossy Hydrangea
are just three of my favourites.


Mine:

Untitled

Gooey, cheap, sickly Angelica Tulips
often look dreamy in the light.
I've tried to show a variety of ideas
with pink flowers. However,
all three sides of the shop-bought
Hydrangea mopheads are still shocking pink,
carefully used like the Jacaranda Roses.
They will always be light, dreamy, glossy cakes.

I don't know if I can do that for this form, but I thought it would be okay, seeings how it is a Found Poem and all.

I started on another in class when I was done, it is very raw and needs work, but I think it could go somewhere.

From An Article on Green Flowers

There's something exciting about the first green shoots
in the spring time. There are things unknown about
the zest and zeal of all that green; it is in the flowers,
the rare and beautiful green flowers.

That's all I have on that one. I scrapped a lot of lines, and will hopefully add on to it. I'll figure something out!