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SEARCHING FOR THE POET OF OUR TIMES

Who is it will be recalled
as the poet of our time
who lived through the past fifty years
and put the chaos into rhyme?

He'd have to capture Woodstock
its promised freedom and love
which died with Jimmie, Janice and John
and ended with Hell's Angels' shove.

Or the war that near tore us apart
there among those fields of rice,
where many of our best were lost
when they paid that highest price.

And the turmoil of the civil rights,
martyrs lynched and beat for all to see.
The final march on Washington
by millions seeking to be free.

That feeling as we held our breath
when Our man set foot on powdered gray,
said a few words, planted that flag
where no wind will ever make it sway.

Then that decade when we learned to dance
to a near hypnotic beat
until disco at last went its way
and grunge appeared with dirty feet.

Disbelief when free love showed its cost
by that acronym that brought it's end.
For love and death had intermixed;
'most everyone lost one good friend.

Will he catch the good as well as bad
like the good times as the nineties roared
and it seemed we'd finally got it right
as money flowed and Wall Street soared?

How would he write about twin plumes
of smoke on that September morning.
Back when the third world war began
unannounced with little warning.

Can he describe betrayal of the banks,
the ruin wrought by theft and greed,
closed shops and the new homeless ones,
the crushing debt and endless need?

Could it be Our poet came and went?
Could it be that he is here somewhere
unnoticed among "celebrities"?
I look, I look, but he's not there.

Style / type: 
Structured: Eastern
Review Request (Intensity): 
I want the raw truth, feel free to knock me on my back
Review Request (Direction): 
What did you think of my title?
How was my language use?
What did you think of the rhythm or pattern or pacing?
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Comments

I was born in 71' and that took me back. It caught all the references, and nostalgia. i was far too naive to take in the cultural, and societal shifts occurring around me.

I just read a profound e-book titled "There's something Happening Here" about the Laural Canyon Production company ran by Frank Zappa, and how all the founding artist had been relatives of Military families. Morrison being son to Lt. Admiral Morrison of the command of the ships involved in the Tonkin Affair. there is a strong case for a suspicion that the counter culture music scene, and the subculture that followed were all staged, moderated, and rigged to implode.

This poem made me ponder indeed.

In ink,
david

I graduated high school in '72 so was likely a bit more aware of the things which occurred during that cultural shift than younger folk like you were. But I'm also pretty sure that you are fully aware of the ramifications of those changes. It seems in times gone by that each generation produce at least one poet who personified those times. But here we are . 40-50- years and who is OUR poet? Could it have been Morrison before he got sidetracked by rock and roll? Maybe it will be our children who identify him or her.............stan

author comment

forget those who have gone
don't them now mourn
they wrote about their times
since passed dead and gone

Since you Preside Neopoets
draw up a list
ask for votes?
no you and Jess and another member decide
and make out a
ROLL OF HONOR
poets list
make sure I too am in it

May be last that doesn't matter...

loved

A roll of honor of Neo poets would likely accomplish little but to piss people off who were left off the list lol. ........stan

author comment

I am floored by this exquisite mind capturing description, a little bit of every poet over fifty past experience.

*Collaborative Poetry Workshop* American Version of Japanese Poetry ~ Renga ~ Haiku, Senyru, Tanka.

Neopoet Community

Thank you. But get off that floor before you have to call somebody lol. I suspect that when our children decide who "our "poet was that it will be one who put their poetry to music............stan

author comment

Can you believe I had to call someone lol this morning. I busted my right big toe open on my small table when I fell off the couch from a sleep after hearing someone banging on the door before 6:30 this morning plus sprained my back. Got a tetanus shot, antibiotics and oxycodone for pain..

*Collaborative Poetry Workshop* American Version of Japanese Poetry ~ Renga ~ Haiku, Senyru, Tanka.

Neopoet Community

You don't do things half way do you? lol...............stan PS is table OK?

author comment

I guess I don't. The table came out un harmed. I have a book under one feet to level it. lol ..

*Collaborative Poetry Workshop* American Version of Japanese Poetry ~ Renga ~ Haiku, Senyru, Tanka.

Neopoet Community

We live with those poets each day, if we take the total of the stanzas and divide by the number of poets written each day we will reach poetry, that will last as long as the Bards.
There is now no need to single out the few as we have so many that fit the bill.
Loved the write our ways have become so many that there is no room for one poet.
Years ago if all the people could write it would be as today, all we can do now is appreciate each others work as it is presented by the individual and in our hearts know that we have read the best there is..
Who will choose, apart from money that made the printing machine run, but even that is gone to the key tapping writers that festoon the ether.
Let us celebrate our writers they are all brilliant.
Yours Ian.T

.
There are a million reasons to believe in yourself,
So find more reasons to believe in others..

That would be such a sad thing it the best poet of our generations was determined to be an amalgam of poets wouldn't it? But with the internet you might be right.........stan PS i expect he or she Won't be a poet lauriete

author comment

I have been sitting here for a while after reading your poem, and I think it might be those poets that make changes in the world by alerting the world to the injustices that go unnoticed, or it may go to the poet warriors that campaign for peace, or it maybe, as you say, the poets that put their words to music, And darlin' we wont know we will be gone from this earth and we will be in the dust of memories smile it wouls be nice to think it would be someone we know

Cant see anything that sticks out but then the painkillers are making everything a little hazy lol

much love Jayne xxx

“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” — W.B. Yeats

Yep, it's a shame that so many poets have to die before they are appreciated. And I already know my "poetry" is best endured with painkillers lol............stan

author comment

Ill smack you for that lol...your a damn fine poet hun

love xxx

“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.” — W.B. Yeats

The dust of the ages here, we listen and know you, as we stir to make your future.
All must write, then there will still be some that are at the top where the sun shines.
Yet they are still held there by all the others.
I have to go the wind is dropping and this dust devil must rest.
Yours, Chiindii,

.
There are a million reasons to believe in yourself,
So find more reasons to believe in others..

Nobody achieves greatness entirely on their own in Any endeavor.........stan

author comment

would have to be Taylor Mali. "What a Teacher Makes", or "The The Impotence of Spell Checking" . He is a multiple award winner, or Slam Poetry Contest.

You bring out an interesting thought : Will "our" poet use the traditional media for poetry (written word) or with he/she be mainly a spoken word poet? In my opinion there are 2 things working against spoken word as opposed to written :
1. Spoken word allows unnatural stresses to be placed in order to maintain the beat or rhythm. This ties in with the next thing...
2. To preserve true spoken word requires tape recording or video-audio recording. And these higher tech recordings are more vulnerable to time. Also as hinted at in the above, When a spoken word poem IS transferred to paper those "forced" stresses aren't apparent and the loss of beat become apparent. So even the best spoken word poets still must be certain their poetry Reads well as well as sounds good and the few slam poets I've seen on T.V. don't seem to realize this.

But being the old fogey that I am I could be entirely wrong lol. Perhaps slam poetry is more the poetry of my children's generation......

author comment

enjoy your poems. They bring to life, the thoughts of someone who has lived through a great many changes in our society. I sometimes have difficulty in finding the rhythm of it, but I never have any in hearing the thoughts you express. I'm sure that we will not, [as Jane suggests] know of them by the time we pass from this world, but they most likely be writing of the things that most concern the world at the time. Will it be conservation, war, or societal unrest? Maybe it will be someone who just writes without regard for what passes for poetry today!
~ Gee

There is value to commenting and critique, tell us how you feel about our work.
This must be the place, 'cause there ain't no place like this place anywhere near this place.

I intend to smooth the flow a bit when I edit this. But as usual I won't sacrifice message to rhythm. When I give thought to the great past poets there seems to be one thing that they have in common. They write in the voice of every day people, not that of the famous or powerful. Think of Frost, Thoreau, and such. They write of the human condition. Sometimes that condition might be of a man in the midst of great events but even then they don't use some general or king's point of view do they? The Road Not Taken, Flander's Fields, The Village Smithy.

Even now the poets of the past 40 or so year who have gained acclaim (often in the form of lyrics) write about "common" people. And there are So Many good poets! Perhaps it's for the best that the future judges which are best................stan

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