January 3, 2008...13:05
Poetry is Dead
Why does poetry still exist? I mean, really, it’s an archaic art form that had it’s revival during the heyday of the Poetry Slam a few years ago, and now should just go away. Like Netscape…not because they are useless or redundant, no: far from it. Literature would not exist without poetry, and the Internet would be reserved for those who knew how to decode HTML without Netscape. For whatever reason, their time is just done.
Seriously. Think about it: when was the last time you read a relevant and new poem? Poetry has metamophosised into a new creature: lyrics, rhymes, spam poetry…we just don’t do poetry like they used to. And anyone who calls themselves a “poet” is either 76 years old, or completely delusional. It would be like:
“So what do you do for a living?”
“I’m a telegraph operator.”
“But nobody uses the telegraph anymore.”
“Yeah, but that’s what I do.”
“Who cares?”
“I’m not sure.”
All the other avenues of art have evolved, why hasn’t poetry?
Now this thread is entirely inspired by listening to the CBC. The other day, they just had someone reading some contemporary, racially-charged poetry over the air. I was like: “How does this speak to anyone?” And DO NOT even get me started on the topic of spoken word. I can not and will not, deal.
I majored in creative writing at uni, and the idea today of being assigned the task of writing poetry is maddening. I would protest. Actually, I would not take that course to begin with. I do encourage, however, the study of poetry. There is much to be learned about our language and English culture through all art. Which brings me to the next idea: How can classical music, written hundereds of years ago, be interpreted properly? How can a player today possibly know how to play a composition when their existence was not informed by the appropriate culture? It’s like giving a Neanderthal a PS3 controller and expecting that he would know exactly what to do with it. Why do we try and force intuition? Is it merely in the name of preservation and tradition? Or is it rooted in something far deeper than that?
Please, I invite my readers to prove me wrong. I figure, since nobody is allowed to buy books anymore, that most youngsters don’t even know what poetry is anyway…
10 Comments
January 3, 2008 at 13:19
superconnected
i keep the toothbrush brushing longer than necessary
side to side over teeth and gums
as i’m grooving side to side in the mirror
i’ve got, well, the ipod going
the little white intercessor
for a private moment of détente
in the lavatory
after 8 hours of reading
of the sadly skewed revolutionary
skies of stalin-era left oppositionists
and i’m angular-like swaying to the horn line
the one that took me until the third night of three
to learn. jumps around a lot on its cycle
some kind of odd time signature that even now
i can’t quite identify
i used to have a saxophone-playing roommate
- a genius if truth be told, and one who never did the dishes
and fell asleep with his forehead
flat against the kitchen table in the already fading light of a montreal afternoon –
we’d have debates about the pronunciation of “wont”
(he won, for such was his)
and i’d aggravate him by making up
time signatures that couldn’t exist
11/9, i’d say, or 13/7
he’d laugh, oh come on,
but there was also unease.
January 3, 2008 at 15:03
Nobody can ‘prove you wrong’ at the same time I wouldn’t call for either poetry or classical music to simply go away.
I tend to think of all of ‘the arts’ even ‘media’ as part of a kind of toolbox for self expression. People create based on where their talent lies and on whatever they find the best way to express themselves. After that it is either kept secret, in which case who cares, or it is thrown to the public. Whether or not I like something doesn’t mean it’s good or bad for anyone but me.
People consume arts, culture and media in much the same way they create it. It either speaks to them and they adopt it or it doesn’t speak to them and they don’t. When, for instance, people put together a mixed CD they are not contemplating what the musicians who recorded the music might think of it, they are creating a wholly new work that speaks to them or that they think will speak to whoever they are making it for.
It is the same with any collection - looking at someone’s collection of music, art, books, dvd’s etc., should tell you something about the person - consciously or subconsciously the owner of the media intends it to say something about them in the same way that any respectable artists (consciously or subconsciously) intends their art to say something about them, about what they think or about how they see the world.
But to prove something is valid is impossible, that’s what separates art from science there is no ‘proof’ in art, only theories. Personally I think that there is plenty of room in the personal expression tool bag to leave classical music and poetry there, even if we don’t use them much. Who knows, next year or the year after someone may have a brainstorm and find a whole new way to approach poetry and classical music and breathe new life into both.
January 3, 2008 at 18:26
Alright I know nothing about poetry so I won’t even go there. But I think there are some great interpretations of classical music.
I challenge you to purchase/download Franz Liszt’s 2 piano concerto’s by Sviatoslav Richter. That is hardly a Neanderthal picking up a PS3 controller. I’m sure if Liszt heard him play them he would shit himself. haha.
Same goes with something like Elgar’s cello concerto by Jacky Dupre….she spent a life time perfecting that.
The problem with classical music is that there are so many bad recordings out there due to the fact that anyone has the freedom to record them.
Anyways, even if the classical recordings suck compared to the way they used to be preformed live by the real composers, it is way better than no classical music.
January 4, 2008 at 20:58
Your dialogue between ‘misc’ and ‘telegraph operator’ made me literally ‘LOL’, but I don’t know if it’s an accurate analogy. Telegraphs have been replaced by better technology that serves us better. What has really replaced poetry?
The thought that we can go back in time, to any period, any culture, and/or language, read one’s poetry and still be moved by it is truly beautiful. Poetry provokes thought. It encourages the reader to contemplate a world that exists outside of our visible three dimensions.
Many have suggested that handwriting and correct spelling are quickly losing their relevance in this digital age. A simple shopping list from 20 years ago would probably look like a work of Shakespeare compared to most text messages today.
Spoken word is definitely cringe-worthy on occasion. But it has its shiny moments, too. Especially when accompanied by certain music. (Check out “Want” by Recoil, featuring Nicole Blackman.)
Oh, and as for the CBC, when have they ever actually ASKED Canadians what we think is relevant? Arrogant, uppity pricks…
January 8, 2008 at 3:52
I am 34 years old and happy to be a poet. This is not how I make a living, but this is how I release my passion. My questions to you is;
Is that which is felt…dead?
Is that which brings life, joy, passion, and expresses the depths of emotion lifeless?
I beg to differ. Poetry is formless and encompasses many feelings and visions even prophecy to some that would not even notice it, until the rhyme scheme or thought provoking words used by a wordsmith that is able to touch…enlighten those unaware of their own feelings, situations, and/or circumstances. And with that being done, people are able to make better decisions on their journey through life. Think, what would life be like had it not been for Robert Frost’s poem in where he travelled the road less travelled by? And what of Edgar Allen Poe’s “Raven”, who showed us the power and overwhelming passion that love can bring?
Now maybe what you are saying is that poetry isn’t as popular as it used to be. On that, I will agree. But, all that does is inspire poets to revive the lives of the lost and enhance the vision of the masses until once again….WE LIVE, WE CREATE, WE NOTICE, WE WRITE. WE INSPIRE. FOR…. WE ARE POETS! And that is what we do.
January 8, 2008 at 3:55
Open Your Mind
by KingYoung1916
We all have sight,
But everyone doesn’t have a vision.
We all have ears,
But some prefer not to listen.
We all have a mouth,
But some rather not speak.
We all have a brain,
And still, some rather not think.
January 8, 2008 at 11:31
I would suggest that readers make sure they have understood my post before they submit comments. I don’t think all poetry ever should go away - I never said that - just the business of today’s mass poetry. In my post I say that: “I do encourage, however, the study of poetry. There is much to be learned about our language and English culture through all art.” I don’t know how that can be interpreted as a renunciation of all poetry, ever.
And to you, kingyoung1916, my respect for our canon of poetry is not as skin deep as you assume. In fact in a previous post I make reference to Frost’s The Road Not Taken…so it’s funny you should say that!
It is all language, words, and how one chooses to use them. There are still poets in this world, lurking bards in unexpected places, speaking to the people in new and transformed ways that didn’t exist in 1955. So we agree on some things, but not on others.
It just makes me crazy in the head when my words are misread and misinterpreted…especially in a discussion about language!
January 8, 2008 at 18:04
My apologies for misunderstanding.
January 8, 2008 at 20:55
I realised that my reply to people’s replies was kind of silly. I shouldn’t ever hope that anyone could possibly understand me, or how my thoughts are formed, by reading a hastily-written, 500 word essay…
…so no apologies necessary, though I do appreciate!
May 10, 2008 at 16:23
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_5wiKSvYRg
Not a Neanderthal, I’m still pissed of by this, lol.
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