Today’s poem is a prose-ish poem that touches on the idea of definitive meaning and finality–or lack thereof–in words, but especially in poems. It also fits into the ars poetica subgenre of poetry–poems that are about the art of poetry. The meta of poetry, so to speak. The Poetry Foundation gives a definition and some links to examples of ars poetica at this link. I like how they describe Horace’s Ars Poetica from approximately 19 BCE as “an early example”. So funny. There’s some poetry humor there.
The Crime of Poetry
What then did we do to deserve the crime of poetry, that least useful of the arts which cannot hang on a wall or carry laundry, that twisted misunderstanding that is somehow true, if truth can be twisted along with words.
If every poem were true, we’d cry ourselves to sleep daily, daily. If every poem were true some of us would have to be put away for crimes even greater than truth, crimes IRL, as they say.
Slash some paint upon the page, mix in the eggshells off the hard-boiled ideas, too hard to mix in with the soft-real world, the soft-cooked, softly scrambled sunrise, sky brightening over easy every morning.
But every, that’s a lie, too, isn’t it? There’s rain, there’s worse than rain.
Poetry can’t take the caveat. Either the day dawns rain or it doesn’t and here, put down in simulated ink too dead to crawl away on its own, here it can’t be both ways and it always believes tomorrow--
and as soon as I decide what is true, I will tell you whether you need to wear a jacket and knit cap in the morning or not.
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A famous quote about writing goes something like “I don’t know what I think until I write it.” It has been paraphrased and quoted by many, sometimes about speaking, thinking, or writing. I doubt the true origin is fully known, but you can read more about that quote’s origins at this link.
The poetic corollary might be “I don’t know how much I am in two or three minds about something until I verse it.” One thing we believe we know about crimes is that they have a factual basis — something is true, or not true, but can’t really be both true and untrue simultaneously. Whereas poetry tries to have its cake and eat it too, and also tries to swipe a couple extra pieces of cake besides.
Hope you are having a great National Poetry Month!