Things Fall Apart When We Fail to See
Modern poetry modern verse contemporary poetry contemporary verse modern poem contemporary poem
Some poets aren’t the prophets of the world.
At times these poets come too small. When Yeats
Pronounced a dissolution deeply swirled
Away from order, death was at the gates
Of decency. But he was tardy in
His teaching. Prophecy requires the sight
Of futures, not just comments on past sin
At Passchendaele. Free verse and deadly blight
Of elms spread wide and then came atom blast
And blast. A Hitler and a Stalin knew
Far more than poets. Millions shot and gassed:
The poet saw a tiny overview.
There never was a center, by the way.
So why give weight to what such poets say?
~ Phillip Whidden
by phillipw | Sep 29, 2024 | Uncategorized |