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Yvettep
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: Yvettep
Post Number: 3304
Registered: 01-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, December 16, 2008 - 02:12 pm: | 
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The Associated Press reported last week on a growing expectation in the poetry community that Obama will follow in the tradition of Kennedy, Carter and Clinton and invite a poet to read at next month's inauguration. Tree Swenson, the executive director of the Academy of American Poets, explained why it's a good bet:
"Given that he is so eloquent himself and so tuned to words, the assumption is that, of course, he will have a poet..."
Anyone who's heard Obama speak can see how acutely he is "tuned to words," but he has some clearer ties to poetry. In March of last year, Steven Barrie-Anthony, here at The Huffington Post, uncovered two poems that Obama wrote and published in a literary magazine at Occidental College at the age of 19. Here's an excerpt from "Pop":
Sitting in his seat, a seat broad and broken
In, sprinkled with ashes,
Pop switches channels, takes another
Shot of Seagrams, neat, and asks
What to do with me, a green young man
Who fails to consider the
Flim and flam of the world, since
Things have been easy for me...
Full story: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-lundberg/who-will-be-obamas-inaugu_b_150616.h tml
Who would you want to see as the inaugural poet? |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 13194
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, December 16, 2008 - 04:14 pm: |
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Well, I guess if Maya Angelou is good enough to recite a poem at Bill Clinton's inauguration, she's good enough to do the same for Obama.
I don't consider myself a poet, but I tried my hand at comemorating the arduous journey down freedom's road that culminated with a black man taking up residence in the white house. I am re-posting a revised version of a poem I felt inspired to write.
A book of history is soon due out,
written by the moving hands of time.
It's a saga that tells all about
the Liberty Bell's discriminating
chime.
Slavery spread the span of its wings
denying captives the privilege to hear
the clarion clang of freedom's rings
that cruel masters muffled
with fear.
As centuries of bondage came and went
the weary trudged down the rough road.
Though chins stayed up, their backs were bent
working fields where hope, too,
was sowed.
After Abe's civil war ended in victory,
loosened shackles exposed old sores
made worse by the salt of bigotry
flushing through
emancipated pores.
The long struggle for true democracy
marched on in hard-pressed fights,
until at last the battle for equality
claimed triumph
for civil rights.
But racism was in no hurry to vanish,
still creeping through all walks of life.
White supremacy was difficult to banish,
its effects
integrated with strife.
Then another century took its turn,
And change sped up its pace,
as power became the main concern
in the form of a
White House race.
As this book draws to an amazing close,
the presidential inauguration
will install the choice of those
who elected him new head of
our proud diversified nation.
The story's last chapter will inspire a glow,
Offering an illuminating tale to critique.
Were the characters bold, did the text have flow,
was the style boring,
or was it unique?
How many stars will this effort earn?
Is a thumbs-up what reports will be citing?
Yes! A rave-worthy work is there to discern,
And a sequel is there
for the writing.
All hail to the chief Barak Obama,
who fulfilled Martin's wonderful dream!
He became the hero of an incredible drama
by defeating the opposition's
team.
You go, Bro! |
Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 7606
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 10:40 am: |
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Poetry is dead.
Having a poet at the inauguration is as outdated as having the Marine band play "Maple Leaf Rag" an doing the cakewalk.
This is America. This is the 21st Century.
He ought to have some clean conscious hip hop rather than some geriatric, one foot in the grave, four days older than dirt poet up rambling some crap that nobody other than another poet can appreciate.
Posted By Chris Hayden
A geriatric, one foot in the grave, four daysolder than dirt poet.
By the way, your poem was good, Cynique. And so was Obamas. |
Soul_sister
Regular Poster
Username: Soul_sister
Post Number: 87
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 11:24 am: |
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Wow, that is cold blooded - four days older than dirt and one foot in the grave -- Yikes, that bites. I am a fan of poetry and love the genre of literature.
A traditional poem - abab meter might be anachronistic - however, most rapping is poetry set to a beat - so what exactly are you saying. I guess you are being (cyniquial) and I am thin skinned??
I love Saul Williams he might be too black - with a capital "B" - but his rhymes are tight. Ta-Nehasi Coates has spit a couple of verses back in the day - and his stuff is conscious and thought provoking. I am sure that Common will be somewhere in the edutainment tent for the inauguration - Im not feeling him as much -- I like the underground folks - who aren't wedded to the establishment - peace
soul sister
aka - rapidily becoming an enigma wrapped in a negro-ess |
Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 7616
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 11:39 am: |
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I love Saul Williams he might be too black - with a capital "B" - but his rhymes are tight. Ta-Nehasi Coates has spit a couple of verses back in the day - and his stuff is conscious and thought provoking. I am sure that Common will be somewhere in the edutainment tent for the inauguration - Im not feeling him as much -- I like the underground folks - who aren't wedded to the establishment - peace
(Any of those would be fine--I'm sure we can also have others--Gil Scott Heron, for instance--
I won't hold my breath) |
Yvettep
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: Yvettep
Post Number: 3305
Registered: 01-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 18, 2008 - 09:02 am: |
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I hear this is his pick: http://www.elizabethalexander.net/home.html |
Yvettep
AALBC .com Platinum Poster
Username: Yvettep
Post Number: 3306
Registered: 01-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 18, 2008 - 09:10 am: |
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BTW, Aretha is also slated to sing at the inauguration. |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 13198
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 18, 2008 - 03:05 pm: |
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Hey, Chrishayden. Explain to me how free verse is different from prose? It's really a challenge to come up with rhymes, and rambling, stream of consciouness poems do seem self-indulgent.
The main thing I admire about Rap is the clever way the artists make the lyrics rhyme. |
Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 7617
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 19, 2008 - 12:42 pm: |
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Explain to me how free verse is different from prose
(I'd be glad to.
The line between the two, which was clear up until the modern period, has become blurred.
Such forms as prosepoetry tend to blur the line even further.
Additionally, some prose writers, such as Joyce, Samuel R. Delaney, Wideman, Toni Morrison, have long poetical or semi poetical passages in their work.
Free verse is still verse, that is, it may not adhere to the rigid rules of the different poetical forms but it will still use the rules of poetry--
It may use rhyme, but not end rhymes. It might use near rhyme. It will use image, metaphor, simile. It may be set down in stanzas, though they might be of irregular length.
Poetry uses two things regularly that prose does not. Rhythm and repetition.)
It's really a challenge to come up with rhymes, and rambling, stream of consciouness poems do seem self-indulgent.
(It is boring and old hat--now that is. The use of Rhyme is fairly new. Roman and Greek poetry did not use rhyme. And many times when writing a poem the only rhyme choice is trite and ruins the poem--
I have pored over a rhyme dictionary for days trying to find a suitable choice until finally just jettisoning the whole thing and not rhyming at all.
Rhyme is a box.)
The main thing I admire about Rap is the clever way the artists make the lyrics rhyme.
(They are clever with them, and they also use the same rhyme schemes over and over. How many words can you find to rhyme with n****r, h*, etc.
They have found some good ones, though) |
Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 7618
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 19, 2008 - 12:44 pm: |
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http://www.elizabethalexander.net/home.html
I have heard Elizabeth Alexander read live three times. I really enjoyed her first book, "The Venus Hottentot"
Twenty five years ago I'd have flipped at the news.
She is now establishment and dull and Safe As Milk--which is going to be fine for President Elect Obama Harvey Milquetoast. |
Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 7623
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 19, 2008 - 01:23 pm: |
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What is free verse?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_verse
Now let me say this--in the last 50 or so years there has been much that is labeled poetry that I call Stanziated Prose--
It has the form of poetry but you read it and there is absolutely no rhythm or poetry about it. The lazy mofo won't excert himself to do prose so he does these little 30 line "nuggets".
Much of this has turned people off poetry...
...which makes little difference since it's dead... |
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