Poets: A Call to War! (28th January, 2009, 7.03pm)
(A tribute to the courageous on ABC, and a thank you!)
Come; bring teeth and claws:
we will start a war over our
poetic flaws. Come! We shall
not be ignored! Arm yourselves
well: we may be headed for
an eternal hell!
Come; fan the fires of doom!
We will fill this virtual room
with our resolve; uphold the
values we have built, rules of
battlefields: take no prisoners
that you cannot shield.
Come; ensure you punctuate
your debate with patience:
you face ingratiates; we cannot
tame them! Hold your tongue!
I am too young; no fame yet won:
I cannot name them.
Come; bring your choicest words,
for we have never heard such
exasperation! Arm yourselves
with grace; the struggle may be
great, and we are weakened by
misplaced politeness.
Come; the beacon burns with
eternal brightness! Hold aloft
the flag of red and white; raise
up the standard! We shall lay
waste to those who save their
face with pettiness.
Come; our work is not yet
done; trumpet the wordsmiths
on, follow in their wake. It was
my mistake; I tried to win the
game; my shame is absolute; I
might well bend the truth.
Come; let us imbibe the wine
of mutual sacrifice! I offer up
these lines to Gods that may
decide to smite us! Long is the
road that leads to Rome; three
small steps guide us home.
Jennifer Pickup
Comments
Nathan Bednarek | January 28, 2009 - 19:09
HAHA!!! This is just beautiful Jennifer. A perfect poem at a perfect time ;-p
I agree with every single word- true wisdom emits from each stanza ;-p
I particularly like the second and fifth stanzas, but the ending is beyond me-
'...Long is the
road that leads to Rome; three
small steps guide us home.'
-Perfection.
Nathan.
tamara (not verified) | January 28, 2009 - 19:12
Brilliant!
Dear Jennifer,not trying to be 'Teacher's pet,'fancy an apple? May I carry your books!lol!
I know my Grammar is atrocious and I can only consider myself fortunate that there are folk like you, Silverspunsand,Luigi and many others who care enough to comment on my errors.
I have actually learnt quite a few things this week because of the advice you have given me such as to put spaces after my commas, etc and I am honoured that you give the time of day to comment on my work.
Thankyou very much!x
Macjoyce | January 28, 2009 - 19:14
Amen. Pass me my lance.
www.myspace.com/norwichfacetransplant
MistakenMagic | January 28, 2009 - 19:18
I agree with all of the above! And how better to vent your frustration than a superb poem? Your battalion is behind you Jen ;)
Magic xxx
jennifer | January 28, 2009 - 19:18
p.s. the three small steps are A B C...
Thank you for your comments!
To horse!
J x
artisus | January 28, 2009 - 19:45
make art not war, but this is an extremely intense and very well written piece Jennifer.
tamara (not verified) | January 28, 2009 - 21:14
'Don't be fooled by the rocks that she's got,she's still Jenny,yeah Jenny from the block.'!!!!!!!!lol
jennifer | January 28, 2009 - 21:39
Oh dear. One of my Year 7s last year dubbed me 'Jennifer Lopez'.
He protested it was because of my name. I rather think it was because of my backside.
hehe!
J x
Nathan Bednarek | January 28, 2009 - 21:41
Either way I doubt he meant it in a negative way ;-p
jennifer | January 28, 2009 - 21:46
Oh heavens, it's hard enough worrying about the Year 10s and 11s looking at my arsicus maximus, let alone the little 'uns!
But thank you, Nathan! ;)
J x
Nathan Bednarek | January 28, 2009 - 21:53
You're very welcome ;-p
Ewan | January 29, 2009 - 09:17
I admit that, honestly, I agree with you. How did you end up in teaching though, Jen? I thought the dogma was that grammar, syntax and (even) punctuation were dirty words in education. Anyway, just so you know, my answering poem is not what I really think, but an argument I heard advanced by my OU lecturer during my Language Studies degree.
jennifer | January 29, 2009 - 11:36
Hmm, they're back in fashion! I did an English degree with a view to being a journalist, then realised the further qualification necessary (and its tuition fees) and the starting wage didn't add up! Plus, I have morals and a conscience - work experience was akin to torture.
Teaching occured to me, loved my work exp, and here I am! Grammar etc is back in fashion, my what an eternal revolving door!
I loved the order of letters lecture - as long as - the word is spelt correctly, and the first and last letters are in the right place, the rest can be in any order and we are still able to read perfectly!
Your poem is hilarious, I have responded in my own annoying way!
J x