And McDonald’s is cooking practiced at the highest level! -Tom

great poems are like 911 calls

great
poems
are
like
911
calls

screaming
&
pared
down
&
urgent

pretension
beaten
out of
them
by
crushing
circumstances

not
a literary
game
but
the
real
motherfucking
deal

would
you
use
rhyme
& meter
when
you dialed
9-1-1
for
help?

then
why
do
it
in
poetry?

you
don’t
have
as
much
time
as
you
think

One of the best definitions of poetry (in my opinion) is found in Rob Plath’s A Bellyful Of Anarchy:

John’s poetry, in my opinion, is the epitome of Plath’s definition of poetry.  It’s “simple straight talk,” “pared down and urgent,” with “pretension beaten out of them by crushing circumstances.”  John’s poetry is comprised of lines that someone at the height of madness can grab hold of like a crucifix, lines that could talk a jumper from a ledge.  They are lines that somebody would scream into a telephone making a 9-1-1 call. 

John follows a simple formula: he puts the right word next to the right word, the right line next to the right line, the right stanza next to the right stanza – he doesn’t produce stuffy, fake, academic poetry that goes nowhere, does nothing, saves nobody.  The minute you start counting syllables, throwing out the best word for the best-sounding word, writing becomes nothing more than verbal masturbation.

John’s poetry is definitely McDonald’s poetry: it’s quick, to the point, and keeps you coming back for more.  There is, after all, a reason why there’s “over one billion served” – because customers are happy.  They love the food and they love the service.  That stuffy, fake, academic poetry that’s pushed more people off the ledge that heartbreak and homesickness combined, is like a fancy meal that’s hard to chew, hard to digest, and has you constipated for weeks afterwards.

Great insight Tom - you hit the nail square on its hea d! 

- Wolf

Wolf, John's poetry is definitely pared down, definitely straight talk, but life & death urgent, crushing circumstances? That claim does seem pretentious to me. Tom

p.s. John, I would love to see your spoof of the greek god etc. poem...

John, Wolf. I apologize if I've offended you. If claiming that someone's poetry is life & death urgent, forged by crushing circumstances, isn't pretentious, what is? That's all I'm saying. I'm certainly not saying such urgency is a necessary for great poetry: quite the opposite. I don't think your poetry lacks anything, John. Nor would I make that claim of crushing circumstances etc. about what I write, or anyone else on the site. Tom

p.s. John, I would love to see your spoof of the greek god etc. poem...

Wolf,
..I object whenever someone says "This one kind of poetry is great and all other kinds suck." There's a lot of good styles, John & Rob's is one of them.
Tom

Tom,
 
John was talking about poetry being "practised at the highest level" and you responded by suggesting that if John's writing is poetry "practised at the highest level," then McDonald's is "cooking practised at the highest level."  The insult is clear.  That's what started this discussion.  

Or was that McDonald's crack meant as a compliment?  
 
- Wolf

I object whenever someone says "This one kind of poetry is great and all other kinds suck." There's a lot of good styles...

This thread is degenerating into personal attack and insults. I think we should just let it be. I am a fan of both styles of "polar opposites" mentioned. They may have different intents and, to a point audiences, but in the end they are words, and if they are, like I say, "well strung together" I'm gonna read 'em and enjoy 'em.