First,
start with the title:
it must be
directly related
to the content
of the Poem -
or not.

Then, begin the Poem
with a phrase
of tempting ambiguity,
a detail so compelling
that the reader
will follow you
as you pull back
to reveal its unexpected
milieu.

Continue by making
an arcane allusion
to a 17th century English essayist
or by adding a sly reference
to one of the
lesser known Beats
(nothing from Ginsberg,
Kerouac, Burroughs or
Bukowski, please) –
this will establish
your lit cred
among the cognoscenti.

Include densely worded
passages, overstuffed with
arbitrary and completely insular
imagery
to buttress your emerging status
as a solitary, enigmatic genius.

Bring it on home
with an unexpected punchline
that either disorients
or brings a cynical smirk
to the morally ambiguous,
postmodern reader.

Send it out to the same
twelve friends
who always read your work
and always love it.

Repeat as necessary.

this made me grin

Stella

Fave lines:

Send it out to the same
twelve friends
who always read your work
and always love it.

Repeat as necessary.

I grinned also. :)

you leave my burroughs out of this! ;)

very much enjoyed

Hey if the same 12 friends are on editorial boards, grant panels, and tenure committees . . . a star is born!

Prickly good.

ditto that!

ld

very sharp and snappy, Buddah. Though I personally wouldn't consider Bukowski one of the Beats.

thanks
James

 ;D

Thanks one and all, but I feel like I've screwed myself, what with giving out my formula and all.  - -

A sincere thanks to everyone who reads my writing and an even bigger dollop of gratitude for commenting.

Buddah Moskowitz

Got a good belly laugh out of that.

Thanks for the fun read.

Love how this poem builds, Buddah, from its very engaging title to a stick-it-to-ya final 13 lines and down to the killah last 5! Tom

Moskowitz.... your humor always finds the right way with words.  This is a gem! What a way to play!

Laura

Came back to this with a smile and had to send it up.

great ingredients! enjoyed!

Great pick for the Front Page!!  Maggie

Thank you one and all for your kind words, and especially thanks to Jay for sending this up.

This honor, along with the royalty check of $19 from the sales of my first book (still available at lulu.com, btw), is one of the happiest moments in my life as a writer.

With gratitude and humility, Buddah Moskowitz

ha! fantastic. very much enjoyed.

For me, a poem that achieves exactly the opposite of what it is apparently setting out to do.

Thank goodness for those same twelve friends!  Glad to visit this one again!  lynn

Buddah..... wonderful front page!!!!  I'm doing the Buddah dance!!!  Congratulations.  I am an admirer of your humor and love that something of yours now graces the front page!

Laura

i'm so stoked for you buddha!!

Congratulations Big B.

Afraid I can't agree with this being some universalized formula. Maybe incredibly pretentious college-level English-department nerds see a point in flooding the world, or the inboxes of these 12 friends, with poetry that follows the formula, but it somewhat saddens me that this mentality is what dominates the collective of poets. Whatever happens when you just have something you want to get off of your chest? Whatever happened to poetry being a device for emotional expression? If all you're writing for is to elicit a smirk, doesn't that make you no better than the people writing ridiculously silly greeting cards with pictures of puppies on them? I'm not trying to insult you personally in saying this, of course. Maybe you feel the same way I do and you're observing it. I'm a gut-writer, so the type of poetry you describe always manages to piss me off.

Isn't that really the point of this piece?

Well I certainly hope so, if not, it sort of loses the emotions it evokes.

it clearly is, johnathan. Congratulations buddha.

You are really funny!!!!  ROTL

This piece is quite funny with its bitter irony and sarcasm, Buddah. I simply love it!
Vasile

Ha!  This is awesome.  Didn't catch it at first, then I loved it.