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.

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."

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!

Anaphora

To You, Who Will Never See This

I wonder how hated I am.
I wonder how much you hate me.
I wonder if you would smite me to the ground if you saw me,
I wonder if you would relish in my throbbing pain.
I wonder how I became a deep rooted sinner, and
I wonder if I am the cursed one, forever walking the earth.

I wonder, what could I have done?

My voice was the leaky faucet, dripping
and left unattended. When the clock
fell down, and all the ticking chose
to cease, so did my eyes, my lips
my tongue, my heart, my all. Now,
I wonder if I will ever forgive myself.


This needs serious help...but I am working on it. It's hard to do this form and make it look nice and tidy.


The Shower

I said it to the head.
I said it to the water, hard, hardened water.
I said it to all the alabaster tiles, here's to stains.
I said it to the mats, sopping in my filth.
I said it to the rod, daring to hold the weight of my body.
I said it to the curtain, the bastard better not fall.
I said it to myself-- over and over again--
One mustn't cry over spoiled, spilled milk.

Free Thought

Today I was thinking about how where you live deeply affects your poetry. When I was reading our packet, I was amazed at the difference you could feel in the tones of Ali's poems and other poems in the packet. You can see this a lot in poetry. Of course it is a no-brainier that people of different background are going to write differently, but I have been thinking about it. Sometimes in a poem, you write for a speaker that is not yourself. Would you ever really be able to write a poem in the eyes of someone who has a very different life experiences? I have seen some novelist, like Wally Lamb, do a great job at writing from a females perspective, and visa-versa, but what about a different culture? Just some things I have been thinking about, especially with a culture that is very different from our own.

On Ghazels

Ghazals are very interesting forms. I really like the concept behind them. I think that it is interesting that you can have couplets that are totally unrelated to each other, but fit together so well. Of all the Ghazals, I think I liked the traditional ones the best. Like "Ghazal" by Agha Shahid Ali, I thought his work was beautiful. I am not sure if it is because the ghazal is a Persian form, and therefore more "mastered" by this artist, but it seemed to be smoother, and more in tune. I think that my favorite line is "where there were homes in Deir Yassein, you'll see a dense forest--/That village was raised. There's no sign of Arabic." I think that you can see the passion behind this poem, I love it.

copying Paradelle for Susan

Deb's Paradelle

I saw a cat in my back yard today.
I saw a cat in my back yard today.
He was large, and had a mane that blazed like fire.
He was large, and had a mane that blazed like fire.
I was in my fire, blazed and back.
A cat, a mane, saw he, had a large yard today.

He could sense the blood of a reddish cock.
He could sense the blood of a reddish cock.
With great stealth, he spied his prey.
With great stealth, he spied his prey.
His prey, spied he, sense of a cock
he could sense the reddish blood with great stealth.

Long leap, brazen teeth, setting out for a feast,
long leap, brazen teeth, setting out for a feast,
cannot stand up to a peck so sharp, and so deep.
Cannot stand up to a peck so sharp, and so deep.
Brazen peck, so long and up for a feast, long teeth
leap out so, setting sharp and deep.

Blood, back teeth feast. A long reddish
cat cannot sense that deep fire he spied.
For a setting, stand up, brazen cock! Sharp
and so long was he today. I saw in
my mane he could of had his prey.
With a like great stealth that blazed out, and so.

This is really weird, and probably doesn't make much sense. I tried though!