I was browsing through some old blog posts and this one made me smile! I originally posted it back in 2006 for Poetry Thursday, a now defunct blog network that was very useful to me in my early blogging days!
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Poetry Thursday this week asks us to think about what we avoid - both poetically and in more general terms. I have to say that there isn't a type of poetry that I would entirely avoid, without first finding out that I don't like that writer or style. I prefer to read French, German or Italian poetry in the original language and avoid reading it in translation (but that's not avoiding the poetry!) . I also avoid writing in certain forms, for example I have never written a villanelle or a sestina, though I know they can be effective in expressing some types of emotion and would consider writing one in the future if I felt the need. The poem below is a combination of a form of poetry that i dislike (though don't actually avoid) and a few of the things I avoid in life:
Things I Avoid
dogs with snaggly teeth and glowing red coals for eyes
political marches hijacked by extremists
mainstream films and bestseller books
the sleeplessness of real coffee after midday
flying when I could take the train or boat
throwing out what could be recycled
working too hard
pounding techno music and military marches
Talk Radio and banal tv
soulless shopping malls
stilettos and make up
products from multinational conglomerates
statements lazily drawn together in a so called ‘list poem’
21 comments:
Great post..loved the last line..lol, says it all thanks ..enjoyed..m
you and me both. yes, (last line) it's possibly more to do with the effort (or lack of) rather than the form. the problem being often what looks simplest is the most difficult to pull off.
yet lyrically they can work quite well.
Hi there, thanks for visiting. I agree Ian, there are lyrical and successful list poems out there, but they are all too easy to do badly and end up reading like a shopping list.
Can't say that list poems work that well for me, either- at least when I think of poems that I love or have been moved by- not a one appears. It is a challenge, though. . . thanks! and thanks for stopping by.
It's true that some forms just feel less, well, creative than others. Perfect example!
Fantastic! I agree with every line, except for the line about coffee. :)
I did once encounter a very moving and powerful list poem - can't remember the title or author unfortunately. It was a nice twist in the last line though. I'm afraid I would be dishonest if I claimed to be the same for the coffee and the bestsellers :)
I think it is quite a comprehensive list...
thank you for sharing your poem with us!
Kudos to you
very well put!!!
But, then, you have written a wonderful one!!
I like the specificity of your poems. Also enjoyed the gentle poke at yourself in the last line. It's nice that you have a sense of humor.
This was great, I enjoyed reading :)
I think I just learned what a good list poem looks like. Good job.
Great last "punch" line to this one!
Thanks all for visiting and for all your comments.
but...but....but.... list poems don't have to be lazy! They can be very beautiful indeed! :(
Just joking. I like the final twist, and I might use this as a prompt.
Hi Nia, thanks!! :)
Interesting prompt! I think I'd say some of the same!
I avoid writing poetry I'm terrible at it!
I enjoyed this, Juliet. I'm so glad you mined the contents of this older post for us to enjoy. Yes, I was smiling, too...
Amen to that list, and I'm sure I'd find plenty to add, though I agree about the coffee!
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