World Class Poetry Blog

An Ode To Alexander Hamilton
1 April 2008, the poet @ 10:06 am

Today is the first day of National Poetry Month. It’s also April Fool’s Day. How fitting then that we should honor the biggest fool in our nation’s history with a poem. I wrote this at 5 a.m. when I couldn’t sleep.

An Ode To Alexander Hamilton

We all get what we deserve one way or another,
But you, you bastard, weren’t worth the bother;
Your Mercantile philosophy
Was a tasteless recipe
That became the Master Plan
For this Leviathan.
It all just makes me wonder,
Why separate ourselves from that asshole over yonder?

The NaPoWriMo Blues
I’d love to participate in National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo), but I don’t like to publish my own poems on this blog. I certainly wouldn’t want to do it every day for a month (besides, I’m currently working on another project that I don’t want to abandon until it is finished - and it is almost finished!) What I may do instead (and I won’t decide for sure until probably tonight or tomorrow) is post a religious poem from the past or present every day for the month of April.

So why religious poems? Well, for starters, religious poetry doesn’t get much mention in this culture any more. And secondly, I am hosting a tribute to religious poetry on April 13 in Enola, Pa. at St. Michael’s Reformed Episcopal Church. The featured poet is Carol Clark Williams, the poet laureate of York, Pa. I figured it might be good to make my blogging efforts coincide with that. I have some ideas regarding that.

If you’d like to see a tribute to religious poetry then I encourage you to make recommendations about poems you’d like to see me post or you can submit your own. If I like your religious poem (and it can be any religion) then I’ll post it on this blog in the Month of April, the cruelest month. To submit your poem, leave a comment on this or any other blog post with your poem included. If I like the poem I’ll copy and paste it as a blog post; if I don’t I’ll just delete it.

5 Comments a “An Ode To Alexander Hamilton”

1. Eric — April 1, 2008 @ 11:48 pm
   

   I look forward to seeing what you come up with in the realm of religious poetry. You comment that it “doesn’t get much mention in this culture anymore”. Any thoughts as to why? My own speculation is that most religious poetry today, like much of the contemporary “church” music, has a lack of depth (unlike many of the religious writers of the Renaissance). There seems to be, pardon the cliche, not much meat on the bone. There seems to be a lack of basic biblical/religious literacy that seems to pervade our society and spill over into the literature realm so that we end up with poetry fluff. I do concede that I have not searched far and wide for contemporary religious poets. Maybe you could point me to some you think worthy of study.

   I also look forward to hearing more about your April 13 event. I wish I was in a position to attend.

2. the poet — April 2, 2008 @ 10:05 am
   

   Eric, I agree. For the most part, Christian literature of today is pure schlock. Whether it is fiction, contemporary music, poetry, or any other medium, you’ll mostly find what Franky Schaeffer calls “trinkets,” which is the word he uses to refer to Christian art (you know, the WWJD bracelets, plastic cross necklaces, etc.). I’d say the same is true of Christian poetry and fiction. It’s pure sentimentalism, about as much depth as a wading pool.

   Like you, I haven’t searched very hard for contemporary religious poets. However, awhile back (about 10 years ago), I subscribed to a journal called Mars Hill Review that had some decent stuff in it. I haven’t seen an issue in awhile so I don’t know what they’re doing today, but they do have a website.

   Mark Jarman is probably the most prominent writer of religious poetry today. Denise Levertov wrote some excellent religious poetry. Anna Akhmatova also wrote some good religious verse. Stay tuned.

   BTW, I love your blog. Nice design.

3. poetryman69 — April 2, 2008 @ 7:50 pm
   

   religious poetry would be welcome

4. poetryman69 — April 5, 2008 @ 2:11 pm
   

   wee need more poetry about 10 dollar bills.

5. Eric’s Writing Corner » Blog Archive » Religion and Poetry: Where’s the Depth? — May 14, 2008 @ 10:18 pm
   

   [...] (though in “blog time” it’s more like an eternity) wrote two posts here and here on the subject of religious poetry. After I comment on the first of the two posts, Mr. Taylor [...]

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