As a Poet

For all my fellow poets and writers and critics.

As a Poet

 

As a poet my job is too feel

Every spasm of a useless situation

And to document a reality in its most abstract form

To commit sins where practical people prefer not to belong

 

As a poet I need to memorize the procedures

And modus operandi of living and dying

Simultaneously in many different forms

People expect me to create an illusion of the known

And call it unknown in their own known language

 

As a poet I must learn to infuse snowfall

In a famine and drought, light a cigarette in a oscillating

Sea storm with my final matchstick, sing songs with

The best devils in town; sleep with sick women

And impress the beautiful ones with act of being profound

 

I must live only with the hollowness of my own being

Marry the harshness of my silent sentences

And die when others around me have finished enjoying

The final chop of criticizing my human habits and

Normal

Ways and methods I use to get around the city streets

 

As a poet I’m at least sometimes allowed to be a regular human

In a horde of otherwise excused wordless normal people.

 

Author's Note

This is an unusual poem from me, I know. Hardly any visual effect or onomatopoeia. But this my uttermost personal form of existential confession. Hope you'd like it.

Reviews

[Mike Espinosa]

This is an interesting poem. You come across and sincere in your description of who you are.

However, your breaks feel a bit awkward in some of the stanzas. When I read the breaks, I am cutting off in the middle of phrases that shouldn't be. I stumbled a few times through this piece because of the breaks. The one that I suggest immediate edit is in the second to last stanza, "The final chop of criticizing my human habits and / Normal / Ways and methods I use to get around the city streets."

Also, if you are going to use a period at the end of the poem, you should use punctuation throughout, as a matter of uniformity. Either whole poem with punctuation or whole poem without. Half and half seems a little sloppy.

Overall, this is a fine poem. Good job.

[alesuriko]

Nice honest, descriptive poem of who you are as a poet. There are some parts, however, where the wording and flow get a little awkward but the breaks don't necessarily hinder the poem. It gives it a choppy flow that almost seems fragmented from life. I didn't really care for the last line, it seemed... arrogant and trying to be superior, but not necessary and I'm not saying this to try and offend you. I know I write a hellova lot of things that are extremely arrogant so it isn't really a bad thing, it just didn't feel right compared to the tone of the rest of the poem.

Otherwise, I really enjoyed reading what kind of poet you are. Very nice.

[Doreen]

I like your insight on seeing that which cannot be seen, feel what cannot be felt - the poet needing to see deeper than the normal eye. Nice write. I did notice a few typos and I feel that punctuation would bring out the feelings in the piece. Otherwise, well done. :)

[clauds294]

This is amazing. Not just the way it's written but because it's the truth! You're right, this isn't the usual type of poem from you but it's nice to see something different once in awhile. Just to experiment. This was great and really expresses you and me and every other poet n the world. People expect us to make everything new for them. It's a hard life but so rewarding once you step back and see what has been created. Thanks for writing something down that felt so right to me. You have done it wonderfully! Expecting more amazing poems. :)

[Sara]

oh, man, you are soooo good -- what an awesome piece of work! just a wonderful nod to what poets are and what they have to go through! there are so many parts i love: 'people expect me to create an illusion of the known/and call it unknown in their own known language'-- what a twisty, delightful line, i literally lol'ed :D ... and that entire third stanza is such a great, original description... you should definitely do 'unusual' more! great job!

[Ruth]

I love it!
The poet, who said its an easy job ey? lol
"As a poet my job is too feel

Every spasm of a useless situation"
These lines are striking! Making a scene where there is no scene, finding the power of the poet to make energy come alive!
Awesome work! xx