Here will begin a poetry club. It's pretty simple really. A lot like the book club, but you don't have to buy the book. A poem will be posted, we'll discuss it, and move on. Nothing deep, unless that's where you want to go, just hoping to expose all of us to some great poems by great poets.

If you'd like to be a part, post in this thread. (You don't have to, but it would be nice to see who's interested.) Maybe post the names of any poets you admire. So we can find poems from a range of genres.

I'm in!

As for poetry, I guess I'm legs spread easy, as long as it isnt major angsty teen stuff, I can delve. I used to read alot of Poe and Bronte.....but that was a while ago....now I read more amateur poetry, lol....such as the incredible stuff posted on here now and then.

Tiiiight, glad to hear you're in... I'm going to wait until Monday before posting the first poem to see if we can't get a little interest stirred up first. It will go on regardless. Thanks for the suggestions.

Hmmm

spark of interest.

remind me that I need to come in here more often. That I need to browse the site more often period but you know what I mean.

glad you're interested... and I will do.

Ooh, I'm lookin forward to seein the poem hun....I like this forum ALOT.....but I never seem to catch on, lol....I think I missmesh with people...if thats even a word.

Thanks for keeping up with the poetry area....its MUCHLY appreciated!

i would join, but i'm more interested in keeping my lunch money.....

j/k

Interested.

ha.

welcome Ditto.

well hell's bells....i s'pose i'm in....what's the poetry board without yours truly huh?

ain't much at all... glad to see ya six.

I'm gonna track this thread, but I'm more of a lurker, so don't expect too much from me. Sounds like a great plan though...best of luck.

good deal. I don't expect all of us to make long drawn out posts about what we think of a poem... So, feel free to lurk, feel free to add your two cents... whatever your mood fits.

Everyone let me know if you have any favourite authors, and who they are. That way they can be included.

Our first poem:

******

In Back of the Real

railroad yard in San Jose
I wandered desolate
in front of a tank factory
and sat on a bench
near the switchman's shack.
A flower lay on the hay on
the asphalt highway
--the dread hay flower
I thought--It had a
brittle black stem and
corolla of yellowish dirty
spikes like Jesus' inchlong
crown, and a soiled
dry center cotton tuft
like a used shaving brush
that's been lying under
the garage for a year.
Yellow, yellow flower, and
flower of industry,
tough spiky ugly flower,
flower nonetheless,
with the form of the great yellow
Rose in your brain!
This is the flower of the World.

-Allen Ginsberg

******

Read, digest, tell us what ya think about it.

hmmmm i do like the descriptivness it portrays. however permit me to say that the author seems to be trying too hard in the description. i can close my eyes and get a decent mental picture so i guess its effective. good poem, not my fave subject matter but damn good.

Kill me I know but I have never had a liking for Ginsberg beyond a grudging respect for his ideals. I grew up in San Jose though and so this poem was familiar to me. I went to many of his stomping grounds up and down the California, Oregon coastline and as such much of his poetry is familiar. I am inspired by his freeform work though and have grown to distinguish my own work as freeform.
He always let the words go rather than try to capture them in form.

I can however think of a few other poems of his that might have been better to showcase yet I am appreciative of this ones simplicity and quality.

I like Ginsberg alot, and I've read that poem a few times. Not his best, but definitley one of his most descriptive.

I'm not a big fan of Ginsberg either, but he has his moments. But this is not one of them.

Its dry and dull, and I agree, he tries too hard.

hmmm....i like Ginsberg myself.....his latter years were definately his best, but his earlier years are interesting as well....

if there's one thing Ginsberg deserves credit for, it's his words....some of his themes are shit, but his words and phrasing were awesome....and if you ever have the pleasure of seeing him perform (from a video obviously) it's quite interesting.....he's kind of funny and gets real into it, but he knows how to deliver......

i don't think this is the best representation of Ginsberg being that it's an earlier piece by him....but you can see how he evolved into the poet he became when you look back on some his older pieces....overall, Ginsberg gets a thumbs up from me....