What do you really think of poetry? Be honest?

tHE vAGGABOND

as father jack said about poetry, "ARSE BISCUTS"

Dades

My heart is lifted by the general consensus about poetry here.

I always wondered was I the only philistine, but now I see you well-read folk, who share a love for the written word, voicing your distain for that most annoying of all writing - poetry.

*Good God I just had a look in Creative Writing - my eyyyyeeeeees*

simu

Eh - don't judge poetry by the stuff you see in Creative Writing, I beg of you, people!

supersheep

the dice man wrote:

My favorite poet is probably Bukowski. He banged out so many of them. They’re very easy to read and most are pointless but funny. And then every now and again you’ll read one like this

a smile to remember

we had goldfish and they circled around and around
in the bowl on the table near the heavy drapes
covering the picture window and
my mother, always smiling, wanting us all
to be happy, told me, "be happy Henry!"
and she was right: it's better to be happy if you
can
but my father continued to beat her and me several times a week while
raging inside his 6-foot-two frame because he couldn't
understand what was attacking him from within.

my mother, poor fish,
wanting to be happy, beaten two or three times a
week, telling me to be happy: "Henry, smile!
why don't you ever smile?"

and then she would smile, to show me how, and it was the
saddest smile I ever saw

one day the goldfish died, all five of them,
they floated on the water, on their sides, their
eyes still open,
and when my father got home he threw them to the cat
there on the kitchen floor and we watched as my mother
smiled

Charles Bukowski

That is one of my favourite poems - it was the one I chose to read out in class last time we had to. Yes, a lot of poetry is crap - I don't like the 'greats' like Yeats, Wordsworth and the like - but there are very many gems, such as Sassoon, Bukowski, Stevie Smith... Not Waving but Drowning is anothe favourite.
In general, I love poetry - good poetry at least, poetry that appeals to me, dark, depressed stuff usually.

jazzbandit

I always just thought poems were for steamers, but I'm probably wrong. btw, apologies to any steamers reading this, as I know some of you dont do the poetry.

simu

jazzbandit wrote:

I always just thought poems were for steamers, but I'm probably wrong. btw, apologies to any steamers reading this, as I know some of you dont do the poetry.

What's a steamer?

supersheep

simu wrote:

What's a steamer?

Thta's the question that was on my mind... I think it's something regularly used to cook potatoes... Either that, or some sort of derogatory term. But I'm gonna go with the cooking utensil. Why they'd need poetry is beyond me...

CuLT

simu wrote:

What's a steamer?

Phew, thought I was alone for a minute.

Though it sounds vaguely familiar...

jazzbandit

Apologies chaps,
A steamer is, indeed, a cooking utensil, but it's also slang on the northside (knackers) for "gay" people or "homosexuals".
But like i said, I know they dont all read the poetry, so I'm not bein racist.

simu

I really don't see what a person's sexual tastes has to do with whether they like poetry or not.

Dagnir Glaurung

You don't understand it; of course it's for poofters :rolleyes:

I like poetry. Don't love it, prefer reading novels but occasionally dip into poetry.

jazzbandit

Im not sayin all "gays" like poems, nor am I sayin its exclusively their domain. I mean, every bloke has dipped into a cheeky internet site and plagiarised a poem and then told some bird you wrote it yourself. It's fair game. And can really help you get the rattle.
I'm just sayin that steamer blokes probably like poems and art more than the rest of us, who'd be watchin football or whatever.
I have absoloutely nothin against steamers though. I even have an Elton John greatest hits album.

simu

jazzbandit wrote:

Im not sayin all "gays" like poems, nor am I sayin its exclusively their domain. I mean, every bloke has dipped into a cheeky internet site and plagiarised a poem and then told some bird you wrote it yourself. It's fair game. And can really help you get the rattle.
I'm just sayin that steamer blokes probably like poems and art more than the rest of us, who'd be watchin football or whatever.
I have absoloutely nothin against steamers though. I even have an Elton John greatest hits album.

Hmm... something there for a PhD in literature, surely. o_O

nesf

I like poetry, I don't read as much of it these days as I used to.

I find it interesting that people believe the stereotypes about this kind of stuff. You'll find a book or two of poetry in the most unlikely people's collections tbh.

CuLT

That steamer race fronted by Elton John is on the move; if you want to keep your anal virginity you'd better run for the hills with your arse to the ground!

Dades

nesf wrote:

I find it interesting that people believe the stereotypes about this kind of stuff. You'll find a book or two of poetry in the most unlikely people's collections tbh.

What are the stereotypes?

Tell me you don't think people are siding with jazzbandit!

supersheep

No, jazzbandit is OBVIOUSLY right... Only gay people like poetry, and only straight people like football. I would extend the metaphor, but this is already heading off-topic as it is with talk of cooking utensils and the like, so I'ma drop it...

jazzbandit

Look, lets not get all fruity here. I'm just sayin that gay ppl like art and stuff like that, whereas straight ppl like football and, like, action movies. But, you can still like poems and not be a steamer (although, fair enough, you probably are a steamer if you like loads of poeams). It's just that you never see "gays" at football matches or paintball. I'm not saying they couldnt come if they wanted though, I'd have no problem with that.

jazzbandit

Also, I have to say I feel a bit victimised here, if that's the word.

supersheep

Oooh, can I hit him, please? For being silly?
Plenty of gay people like football and action movies. I'm straight, and I detest football - it bores me. Plenty of straight people like art and poetry - OK, not so much the art, but I do adore poetry. So stereotypes DON'T work.

jazzbandit

im not sayin you're gay, sheepman. You dont fit into the stereotype because you like fighting. You need to keep on the ball, kicker

StopWatch

jazzbandit wrote:

Also, I have to say I feel a bit victimised here, if that's the word.

"victimised" i would have thought that that was the kind of word only "gays" would use.

StopWatch

oh, and i do like poetry, and i also like football and ploughing women, and beating the turd out of bigots.
People should check out a poetry book called "staying alive" it made me appreciate poetry again after the Irish education system raped me of my will to think for myself

supersheep

Fighting? I only wanted to slap you round the back of the head - I'm very bad at the ole fighting game. The other reason I don't fit into the stereotype is because it's a stupid stereotype, even by the standards of most stereotypes. Interest in the arts is not divided along sexual orientation lines.

faceman

I once wrote a poem once that was published in a book. My poem was called "Wet evening coming down" but im not a steamer. I thought it wud get me chicks but any of the girls who read it, when i asked them out they all said they cudnt cos they were lesbians! Was my poem cursed and turned women gay?

supersheep

That would be one powerful poem... I wonder what would happen if a gay woman read it...
Can we read it?

Talliesin

Now I'm wondering where I can meet all these gay men with an appreciation of poetry.

theCzar

i'm afraid to read it, it's sounds like a late night film on channel 4.

Pigman II

I found that that over time I've managed to re-established a fondness for nearlly every subject that Secondary school managed to destroy for me eg

(1) Language (2) Literature (3) Classical Music (4) History (5) Mathematics (6) Art (7) Religion

but poetry however isn't among these. I don't imagine it ever will be either.

//

Coincidentally my english teacher of 5 years did indeed put the lame into flamer and my Irish teacher was a rampant kiddy-fiddler so maybe jazzbandit is onto something.

eclectichoney

Actually while i always had a bit of a liking for poetry, I've gotten much more into it in the last year or so, but some direction from those more knowledgable would help. All i have is Staying Alive & Being Alive (two great anthologies) the collected plath, larkin and anne sexton. which may give you an indication of my taste. I also just ordered the book Poem for the day off amazon which looks nice... anyway any advice re other anthologies/collections would be great.

i do agree that reading poetry has a bit of a rep with some people, esp those who don't read poetry... god knows why really. i can see people thinking the older classic stuff can be a bit stuffy at times, but most modern poetry is totally accessible, and at times incredibly amusing... anyway
thanks guys