As a poet myself, albeit one who values traditional verse, I take exception to some aspects of the article, “Dancing to the New Music,” by E. Ethelbert Miller which appears in the March 15, 2010 issue of The Nation Magazine. I take no issue with poetic form or rhythm or any lack thereof; my concern is that so many poets have abandoned the public, which they should serve, in favor of those who inhabit cells in the sacred halls of academia. Specific comments (in brackets) follow quotes (in bold) from the article:
… I consider us to be believers in the expression of speaking truth to power… [Too often, this becomes an “in-your-face” kind of confrontation which alienates the power and the public from appreciating or valuing poetic expression. Raging rants and raves are rarely convincing.]
…My audience is no longer limited to the 500 copies of a chapbook or a few students in a college classroom… [That limitation has been, and is, in fact, the essence of the problem. Poetry has migrated from the public venues it enjoyed in the 1800s and early 1900s…from the newspapers, the stage, and community programs… to the cloistered halls of academia where it is taught and practiced for the benefit of peers and unwitting students rather than for the edification and enjoyment of the public. What poems of today’s creation are memorable and recited by members of the general public? What verse of today stands as tall as many traditional poems such as “The Village Blacksmith?”]
…What if my new poems resemble text messages?… [What a terrible thought…the destruction of language in the name of poetry… “2 b or not 2 b is the ?” At the very least, the poet must stand strong and fast for our heritage of language, of literature, of lyrical expression and for the ultimate understanding of the reader.]
…I wrote celebratory poems after Obama’s election; in one I tried to be experimental, because I felt it was the only way I could structurally produce work that echoed the times… [Faced with the reality of Dr. Elizabeth Alexander’s literary disappointment, who of us did not try to create a celebratory poem which might poetically redeem our profession? But most have been a disappointment because of their implicit need for interpretation before we could understand their experiential concepts and structures. A commemorative poem must have a forward-looking theme, clarity, understandability, and recitability…and, as to structure, how can one recite for that great occasion a poem in the shape of a tree, a heart, or some other bit of eye candy?]
…As the new decade unfolds, I find myself more hesitant to recite in public. Too often the venues seem to cater to performance and entertainment… [What a wonderful opportunity to reach out to the general public, to a society which aches for information, enlightenment, and entertainment. What better venue for a poem of spiritual, political, social, economic, educational, or informational import, presented in an informative and entertaining way, than out among the folks who can make things happen?]
…I want to be the type of poet who maintains a closeness to the earth… [Better, a closeness to the people because the future of poetry depends more upon the reader than upon the poet. It demands that poetry be a voice of, by, and for the people reaching out with respect for our great poetic heritage. “Poetica Populi!”]
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About this writer: Clark Crouch is a prize-winning western and cowboy poet and performing artist. He is the author of seven books, one of which, Western Images, won the 2008 Will Rogers Medallion Award for cowboy poetry. He appears throughout the Northwest at fairs, community gatherings, nursing and retirement homes, service clubs, and other public venues. His latest publication is a poem, “Chopin’s Minute Waltz,” which appears in a contemporary poetic anthology, Chopin with Cherries: a tribute in verse, which was officially presented during the 3rd International Chopin Congress (an event celebrating the 200th anniversary of Chopin’s birth) in Warsaw, Poland, February 24-March 1, 2010.
We’ve just received word that my latest book, Views from the Saddle, has received the 2010 Will Rogers Medallion Award for Cowboy Poetry. It is my second such award, the first granted to my book, Western Images, in 2008.