Cornfedtrouble: October 2007

Finding the words for work

When I think about work I am reminded of Phillip Levine’s poem, “What Work Is,” about how it gives a typical I B Singer answer to a topic that eludes classification. Besides, the quote from Clarence Darrow reminded me of the play, Inherit the Wind.

Double checked

Levine standing on the hands of Singer
tried to explain the Nobel prize
to his brother. Not Singer’s brother
someone else’s he mistook for him
standing in the rain
misunderstanding the holocaust
that would not leave his mind,

waiting for work to divert his mind
thinking all along that the truth
revealed in Tennessee
saved the fools who knew better
from another day of chess in the park.

But this bit of doggerel probably comes closer to the gist of the prompt:

Leadership at Work

Don’t worry about the climate
Were running out of oil
That’s okay we’re short on water
Which is twice as bad

And the newly crowned queen mocked:
“Let them smoke dope!
We’ll put the well drillers in jail
for... Blowing smoke up our pipes!”

Political decisions are not so hot
You might say slippery solutions
Made by folks who are all wet.
Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

Labels: 01nov07, poetry, poetry_thur, totally optional

straightforward view of the ordinary

after Ted Kooser's "Horse"

<;;>
There is something not right about a time when an insurance man becomes the nation’s poet. And I don’t mean any disrespect for Ted Kooser, he writes great poetry and was most deserving. I just can’t get the sense of irony out of my head.

Labels: 25Oct07, poetry, poetry_thur, totally optional

translations and typos

transxshun

in a musical notes scramble

to find meaning

tones and stone turned up

the anagrammatic rock

no 1 on

key

can see

hear

or

hum

Labels: poetry, poetry_thur, totally optional

Sequel on Q

On Oct 10 New York Times columnist published an article "Generation Q: The quiet ones."

Friedman says,

I've been calling them "Generation Q" — the Quiet Americans, in the best sense of that term, quietly pursuing their idealism, at home and abroad. But Generation Q may be too quiet, too online, for its own good, and for the country's own good.

Had he taken my cue from my poem ?

Sunday, October 07, 2007

THE 11TH HOUR AND GENERATION Z

published on New Verse News. Twisted it for his purposes?

I promptly crafted this sequel in response.

Substitutes? Say,
American Enterprise! Got mine!
But not yet fo’ you, Q!
You unknown Quantities
Who refuse to play by the old rules
By the numbers

Numbers that don’t add up
Below the top’s bottom line
The Q are you & you & you
Who?
The Q who cannot face the Z
“Who will come to be
The doomsday eye witnesses
But WE”

Quotidians who do not count,
Their blessings.