RE: RE: Street poets VS. Academic poets

I gave the answer to another poet. I will do likewise for you, because I call you "friend".

Don't get caught up in all of this stuff. It is meant to divide. Are you Black, or White?

No. I am a poet. A "Street Poet" is a "Modern Poet", just the same.


But there is one thing, or two... a poet can do...... to improve his poetry...


Write a letter first, to the person, place, or thing. YES! A real letter. Spill out your guts! Let them have it... But in the end, do not send the letter.

Pull from that that letter, that is worded as a regular letter, and pull it into a poem! Or Song!!!

That is the [b]KEY[/b] to writing any form of ART. The least you will have, is meaning.

Peace Out, Gary Ruff (the Compusician or EinStud as you know me here)
.

Quote:

Originally Posted by angel33614

Why are so many people bashing the street poet? Street poets are not always uneducated, this is a bad stereo type! I consider myself a street poet more than an acedemic one and I have a lot of college to my name, like two AA degrees and a BS. I also studyied much of the classic styles of poetry and prose, many of the greats. I just choose to write using my own style that fits me best, why is that so wrong? I think many academic poet's of their time were probably considered street poets by thier generation. Personally, I think a good 21 st century poet is a little of both. It does help to have a good sense of structure and proper grammer to better relate your message or the emotion of the write, but I don't feel all poetry has to have big words and use allegory to be considered good. My own thoughts are if the reader has to spend more time tying to figure out what the meaning of this word or that word, than more often than not, they will miss the true meaning of the poem all together. I know not everyone will agree with me, we each have our own opinions but there are poets that spend so much time trying to make thier poems look good that they loose the true meaning and power of true poetry. Just my rambling thoughts. I personally love reading and commenting on a good riddle, or a poem written in allegory, using a lot of hidden meaning, for me it is a challenge and I love a challenge! I enjoy nothing more than just to read a poem over and over till the little light buld goes off in my head, I am kind of the house of commentary, lol. But truthfully for the average reader much gets lost in th translation, just my thoughts. Take it as you will... Purity of the soul, journey well!!! Angel aka The Poem Buster, lol

RE: RE: Street poets VS. Academic poets

Try as try may be... Honesty is the way to be, yes? You are on my team.

RE: RE: RE: Street poets VS. Academic poets

Technique:
Is all that you have learned about the craft of writing poetry by actually writing poetry. This is a definite, this one thing will make you the un-traditional poet.
a poet friend
RH PEAT

Quote:

Originally Posted by EinStud


I have an idea for you. Don't worry about how you are as a poet. But DO deliberate your technique! You will never be the same as the others, if you do this ONE thing.

Do you want to know?

I'm tempted to hide it, and commercialize the answer, but I will give you the break... (and the thousands of others who care).

Write a letter. Yes, that is the secret to poem writing and poetry. Write a letter. YOU sit down. Garner a pen, a paper, and a free mind.

When all is calm.

... calm it as you will...

Take your mind, and put it to paper... as if you are writing a letter to some person, place or thing.

Then... THEN!!! (I love being dramatic)... Pull from that page ... pull and shape... a poem.

There is the secret.

God Bless.

Gary, aka The Compusician, EinStud, BL8ant or any other name I can concoct.]

RE: Street poets VS. Academic poets

Untraditional is a very catchy phrase and I dig it wOOt slim aka Mr. untraditional lol sorry a blinding moment of transparent bull.. But imagine life without those who break the rules. I can't nor will I. hehehe like I am untraditional by learning to correlate the King's English into poetry of some sort.

To be a poet of today one must break rules set forth by presiding phd's and master's of Literature for one reason and that is to be different than them. imaGine that! My writing by far can't be used to illustrate proper technique but can be used for effort. Simple math is to keep trying past the negative and positive tho lying critiques. I still stand as I say trash can bards + stale English = 21st century poets. If that is a dis then so be it! Advise is to get head out of trashed and write fresh.

RE: RE: Street poets VS. Academic poets

Last edited by RHPeat 07-29-2010 at 03:41:34 PM

RE: Street poets VS. Academic poets

OK, it's time for me to weigh in, since I have adumbrated and pontificated on this subject repeatedly on my thread. Street vs. academic poets? I don't think that I would like to be defined in this manner since I consider these two designations to be artificial, with actual independent and reasonable thought having been supplanted by "labels" and "buzzwords". My first point; street or academic be damned, how good is your proficiency in the poetic idiom? In other words, how good is your written command of English? This is basic. You either write well, or you don't! Obviously, the better your command of written English, the better you will write and then the more you can do! Dizzy Gillespie said it best whenever he was asked what kind of music he preferred. He always answered; "Anything that is played right"! Pretty simple, no? In like manner, we can apply this to the realm poetic. Street or academic-it doesn't matter; is it "right"? KEEP IT SIMPLE! Secondly, It behooves us as poets to allow the reader to make that determination, and if we wish to break the "rules", we should first know what the applicable "rules" are!. I will close with my final point; if we seek to craft effective and compelling poetry, we must endeavor to write on a higher level, and in order to do that, first we must learn to think on a higher level. This takes time, patience and tears! Satisfying poetry is the apotheosis-the crown of the hoary head-the mystical document that chronicles our journey-and everything in between. Street vs.academic poets? Which is "better"? The best way is to allow the reader to define you, and once they think that you are neatly tucked away in the "box", you can crawl out of the box and surprise the hell out of everyone! As the Apostle was wont to proclaim: "I am all things to all men"! Be all things to all readers! Street or Academic? Be whatever you need to be in order to connect with your readers! Let THEM tell YOU what kind of writer you are! Street or Academic? Does it matter what you are called? Well, roll up a newspaper and call me "Sparky"! Street or Academic? Just as long as my poems don't SUCK!

"An unexamined life is a life not worth living..."-Socrates

Last edited by kabbalistic 07-29-2010 at 09:20:19 PM

RE: Street poets VS. Academic poets

Whatever you do, try to do it well.....it's that simple. If you are happy with the result and feel you put your best into it, it really doesn't matter how others think or how they define it.

To ignore the traditional and standard forms is foolish. To not want to deviate from them with a style of your own is unimaginative.

RE: Street poets VS. Academic poets

wOOt wise words shared by you three! I know proper grammer is infused with the word English and in my mind I seperate the two yet I fail to impart to print.

Other poets and I want to learn to blend and this is where you elite step up and assist with valuable advise and honest critiques. This is the only real place where the two touch and I thank you and OP for starting and persevering for the sake of poetry.

RE: Street poets VS. Academic poets

Street poets vs. academic poets? Let me put this little "house of cards" to the test! Here is a piece that I have just crafted and posted. Could any of you please tell me if this is "street", or "academic" poetry?

A Very Boring Love Story

This is a type of love story
Not just any other love story
A very boring love story
A tedious snoozer of a love story
fleshed out over frozen distance.

So he calls his love who seems to
be so strange, stranger and
strangest on the other side;
He wants to know what's wrong
in this very boring love story.

"I was with someone last night
and had sex but not with you.
I cannot tell you who, but I
was not faithful and partied
with sex, drugs and rock and roll."
She's finally done and he ponders
with hippo like silence that grows
ever more obese; "Tell me,
the person who you were with,
Do you want to be with him?"

A surprise question, the instant
answer; "No, I want to be with you."
His answer; "OK then. Case closed."
On to the next subject as this
bombshell dissipates into
welcome Canadian air.

Oh yes this is a love story
A very boring love story
bereft of drama and devoid of
histrionics like "Why have
you done this to ME?!" as
the daytime audence jeers and
hoots and howls...I told you
this was not just another
love story, but a true, ever
living love story of special,
deep kiddusha...it is time
to wake up!

(Lovingly dedicated to my late Canadian
Princess who, even though was the most
glorious angel that God had ever created,
was definitely NOT a saint, and that's
just fine by me! I miss her more than
words can ever hope to express.)

KNOCK YOURSELVES OUT!

RE: Street poets VS. Academic poets

OK, I'll make it a little easier! Take your pick; "street" or "academic"? Are those the only two options that we're left with? How about "hybrid" poetry? How about "avante-garde" poetics? How about "beat" poetry? Does anyone want me to start a thread so we can explore these different influences? Would the other fine instructors be willing to collaborate with me on such an undertaking?

Requiem For An A**hole

"Some people just plain suck..."
observes the zit popping oracle as we contemplate how to
best eulogize the Sons of Belial. Ah, such a formidable task as,
musing, we compare how easy it is whenever the righteous die
as we can justly mourn their passing-but whenever scumbags
are dispatched to those piney woods-how say we?
It is easier to perform auto falatio then to eulogize a douchebag-
undeserved elogy and lying praise are like a million fingers on
the blackboard and/or a penis on a cow. My eulogy to the grieving
widow (also a family member):

"Today, we sadly mourn the passing of your philandering, drug dealing, goatf**ker husband who treated you and your family with contemptuous disrespect-who even stuck a pistol in your uncle's (my Dad's) belly for no apparent reason. However, we are here to honor the memory of the dearly departed...
Let us then consider the a**hole...it takes all kinds, square ones, round ones, dark ones, greasy ones-we have come together in order to celebrate the amazing diversity and are so grateful that the dearly departed was such a prominent member of this illustrious universal brotherhood. How could we possibly have 'Immodium' without one such as our dearly departed brother?"

It is so hard to eulogize an a**hole...what a connundrum!
I wouldn't have this problem if the sonofab*tch had never been born.
Rest in peace, d**khead! Addition by Subtraction. Amen.

Question: Is there "academic" language in this piece? Is there "wise-ass", "edgy" language? Which is more prominent? Do they balance? Do they blend, or do they clash? How about the metaphors? Are they fresh? Is there sarcasm? How about the modifiers? Is there epiphany? Is there a "hook"? Is the message clear?

Last edited by kabbalistic 07-31-2010 at 01:28:55 AM

RE: Street poets VS. Academic poets

Wow,
deep thought going on here actually putting ones thoughts and heart felt emotions into classes!! Poetry is a extention of the soul does it really matter where the person gets there inspiration?? Some write from the heart, some poets write from life does it really matter as long as you reach one person in your poetic quest. you havei made a difference!! Most poets write like broken toasters some days it comes out dark some days it comes out light it really depends on the electricty that you are plugged into! The street poet has the street smarts to at least try, while the educated poet has to write for there ego. Putting a poet into a class is BS as long as there is expression in the verse, and heart, each has as made a effort to express themselfs for another to read out of a personal portfolio of thoughts, soul, heart, and experience!!
Inkmaster~

RE: Street poets VS. Academic poets

My dear brother, there are myriad of definitions about what poetry is, and also what it is supposed to be. It might be worthwhile to collect definitions and perspectives on the methodology and theory of poetry and the poetic process. We can then compare our own definitions and perspectives to the great wordsmith's of days gone by; my personal favorite is "poetry...is blood and intellect running together." WB Yeats. It would be nice to do a thread on this very topic. Is there anyone able to actually define street and academic poetry? What are they? What is the difference? What constitutes street poetry, and what constitutes academic poetry? Is Hallmark poetry also an "extension of the soul"? I believe that it behooves us to recognize that "boxes" in which we put poetry into, aren't necessarily the right "fit". You're still using "street" and "academic" as if they were foregone conclusions as being valid classifications; I submit to you that they are not.

Last edited by kabbalistic 07-31-2010 at 03:05:09 AM

RE: Street poets VS. Academic poets

kabbalistic you make some excellent points. I read both pieces, and thought both are well written and entertaining. As far as knowing which catagory they fall in, I'm clueless lol!

RE: Street poets VS. Academic poets

Dear vkabbalistic

I agee with you that there seems to be no classification of poets into street poets and academic poets. Had it been, the issue would have been resolved till now. There is no likelihood of this resolution in future. My request to all friends will be to stop discussing this issue and switch over to some other subject to reap better fruits in terms of time intensity=Rafiqam

RE: Street poets VS. Academic poets

Wow! a lot of opinions flying around here on this topic from my friends. I don't usually post anything in the forums but when this one came in my email I decided to have a read. So I started at the beginning of this topic and read everyones comments and thoughts. Now I am glad I did. I think we are all missing one very important thing about poets and writing poetry. Let me explain it this way, with a little example.

If you took five strangers right of the street walking by your shop door, ask them if they would help you with a theory you are working on. Give them each a pen and piece of paper, sat them down at a table as ask all five to write a poem on lets say the moon......How many of those five do you think could do it? Not many, maybe one, or two out of the five if you were lucky or maybe none of the first five you pick. My point to this little question/example is simple. Writing poetry is a 'gift', that not everyone has. Can you say that all novelists can write poetry, or can all poets write a novel..No, they can't...Poetry is a gift, no matter where you fill it inside you, mostly we all feel it in our hearts........Would you have taken those academic writing classes to be a better poet if you did not already have the gift for writing them in you heart....No, you probably would not have.....Do you see my point......I does not matter what kind of poet you are, as long you cherish that gift and it brings you happiness and joy when other poets read your work and they too get some enjoyment out of you hard work....That is what makes us keep struggling to be better poets. Street poets vs Academic poets, really does not matter all that much in the end you will still write that poem from your heart, a life experience, a memory, a feeling, a loss, or whatever inspired you to write that poem to begin with, who cares what kind of poet you are as long as you have expressed yourself to where you are satisfied with your work...Most all of my friends here know that I have never taken any courses on writing poetry, but I still write and I know my friends have gotten enjoyment out of some of my work. Not all of what I write is good enough for their compliments, but I am always thrilled when a good friend sees my mistakes and lends me their knowledge to help make me a better poet through their comments...Yes I am one that has a lot to learn, but I will take it at my own pace and it will not change the type of poet I am even if I do learn all the ins and outs of writing poetry.
Ok, sorry my dear friends for rambling on so...I just felt I should state that one thing no one else seemed to mention.

Cherish your gift well my friends, for it is not a gift freely given to all human kind.

just asha, simple country girl who loves all her friends
loves ya bunches
asha

Street poets VS. Academic poets Vs Digital poets

I think Thought Caster questions here is fuel to the fire.
I also think he sparked the poetic genius in us.
You all may not agree on that or do.
I think he succeeded in what he did here to provoke
us to step out of the box we are in and speak up.
lol, He casted a thought, and caught all of us, lol.
Anyways there is another poet alive that no one has talked about as well.
The Digital Poet, and we are about 75 percent one now.
There are poets out there that make high def videos
for there work, film and cinema, and that is hard work also.
I imagine if we all had the time and the money we would be like that too.
With the free tools and tech here on the net, we can advance ourselves further,
Here is a taste of what is brewing on Youtube, that I help fire up.
I am a beginner, but they're are millions there waiting to be Word Slung
by all of us.

lol, WS

http://www.youtube.com/user/JohnEWordSlinger

Last edited by WordSlinger 07-31-2010 at 11:01:58 AM

RE: Street poets VS. Academic poets

These are the words of our fellow poet Olan01

RE: RE: Street poets VS. Academic poets

RE: RE: Street poets VS. Academic poets

Angel my friend I totally agree with you. I guess considering the fact that I had no formal education on writing poetry that some would consider me a street poet...but even that statement is wrong, because who says the street poet has to be uneducated.........So I look at myself and my style a little differently than most.....Others have mentioned a few more types of poets like the video/movie making style of doing a poem.........well I don't exactly fit in that one either.......My favorite quote to describe myself in one of my own....as a poet and a photographer of natures beauty and her wildlife, I always say this.

"Sometimes nature speaks to me in heart felt words of a poem.
More often those words are spoken more loudly when my
eye sees the world through the lens of my camera."

Thus is how I describe myself, and I never even thought of putting a title on my style of poetry. As my own quote says,,,,,,I can express the words I want to express through my photography just as well and sometimes better then all the poems I have written.....So if anyone has a name for this style of poet I would sure like to know what it is.

Some of my poems come out as prose, more often I play or try to play the rhyming game with it. Which ever one I do, it is all the same to me, for I do not need or have the knowledge to use big fancy words to express the emotions/feelings or statement my poem is intended to express.......

Well anyway, this has been a very interesting topic.......
love and light all
Namaste**my native heart says
loves ya all
asha

Quote:

Originally Posted by angel33614

Why are so many people bashing the street poet? Street poets are not always uneducated, this is a bad stereo type! I consider myself a street poet more than an acedemic one and I have a lot of college to my name, like two AA degrees and a BS. I also studyied much of the classic styles of poetry and prose, many of the greats. I just choose to write using my own style that fits me best, why is that so wrong? I think many academic poet's of their time were probably considered street poets by thier generation. Personally, I think a good 21 st century poet is a little of both. It does help to have a good sense of structure and proper grammer to better relate your message or the emotion of the write, but I don't feel all poetry has to have big words and use allegory to be considered good. My own thoughts are if the reader has to spend more time tying to figure out what the meaning of this word or that word, than more often than not, they will miss the true meaning of the poem all together. I know not everyone will agree with me, we each have our own opinions but there are poets that spend so much time trying to make thier poems look good that they loose the true meaning and power of true poetry. Just my rambling thoughts. I personally love reading and commenting on a good riddle, or a poem written in allegory, using a lot of hidden meaning, for me it is a challenge and I love a challenge! I enjoy nothing more than just to read a poem over and over till the little light buld goes off in my head, I am kind of the house of commentary, lol. But truthfully for the average reader much gets lost in th translation, just my thoughts. Take it as you will... Purity of the soul, journey well!!! Angel aka The Poem Buster, lol

Show Me What Your Working With She Said, lol

I don't compete, because I'm so complete

I like to share my knowledge, and love
not like some folks, mischiefing behind the scenes.

My Dear Friend/Teacher Balladeer requested:

Here is what I know
Courtesy of Randy:
MRDaMan and me:
http://www.originalpoetry.com/poet/MrDaMan

CyberLink Director
http://www.cyberlink.com/

Adobe Premiere Elements 7
http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Photoshop-Elements-Premiere-VERSION/dp/B001DMBX7S


http://tv.adobe.com/show/learn-photoshop-elements-7/

http://jaycut.com/

http://goanimate.com/user/


Windows Moviemaker
I use a 250 dollar digital Fuji camera with movie capabilities and sometimes I use a Logitech Pro 9000 web camera
http://www.logitech.com/en-us/webcam_communications/webcams/devices/6333
One of the most important items is a good sound editing program. I use Adobe Audition 1.5
http://download.cnet.com/Adobe-Audition/3000-2170_4-10324430.html
CyberLink has some neat effects which is why I use it.

Premiere Elements has the ability to layer video and green screen.
This is my main editing software.
Cyberlink is SLOW unfortunately but if I want an effect from it. I'll make the effect I want and then transfer that file to Premiere Elements to edit the whole thing. Don't worry about it too much as you begin but as you gain knowledge and confidence of different programs you'll see the expanded creativity this offers. Mix and match
Using a good sound editing program like Adobe Edition 1.5 makes a big difference. (Sometimes I get sloppy) But you can fine tune and add chorus or echo or bend and tweek, distort take out hiss... al kinds of things. Add music and set volume levels between voice and music... well worth learning.
I usually make my audio first, mixing music and voice, then I make my video... sometimes lip syncing but most times I go for poetic visuals to match the words.
Once I've built audio and video, once it's all edited in premeire elements. I transfer/open it in Windows MovieMaker. I add titals and credits and use the publish feature in ths program for my final movie.
Both premiere and cyberlink make 3 to 5 minute movies in 150 to 300 MB Windows Movie Maker compress's them down to 20 to 100 for easier upload and viewing.



Hope this helps, my best advice is to get comfortable with whatever your using, play with it, get used to it, explore with it... be creative. Anything is possible.
If you want more help/advice feel free to ask.
....Randy
AKA MrDaMan

xtranormal.com

Animoto.com


The question isn’t whether it’s possible for an ad campaign to go viral. For evidence that it can be done – and done in a big way – just take a look at what Old Spice has accomplished. As of this writing, their total upload views on YouTube are over 72 million! The question is: what does it take to make a video campaign go viral? A large percentage of online videos that have gone viral weren’t planned that way and weren’t advertising any product. “Inspired Bicycles” with over 18 million views and “Free Hugs” with more than 60 million views are good examples. Those videos define what it means to go viral. People see a video and love it, so they pass it to their friends, who pass it to their friends, and before you know it, millions have seen it. But how can a company duplicate these results? HP thinks they’ve got it figured out. They know that it takes a certain kind of campaign to go viral, so their first video in the “Make It Big” series has all the elements in it.
Here’s the video:
You can’t say this video is incredibly moving, or powerful, but it does have some great elements to it. Let’s look at what HP has included to make this video a good viral video candidate:
1. The Cool Factor – If you want a video to go viral, this is must-have element. You have to make people laugh, tug at their emotions, or at least make them say, “Wow! That was cool!” The HP video fulfils these criteria in a couple of ways: First, the toy cars and track turning into a life-sized track and cars is pretty cool. Secondly, when the guy’s daughter whispers, “That’s my dad,” it invokes a sense of pride, as a parent who has accomplished something special. HP’s target audience is entrepreneurs, so they probably did some research that showed them one reason people want to succeed as entrepreneurs is to leave a legacy for their children.
2. Focused Targeting – As mentioned, HP’s Make It Big campaign is targeted at entrepreneurs who have small to medium sized businesses. The guy in this video is typical of such an entrepreneur, because he’s about the age of the majority of these entrepreneurs, and people that age often have kids, so it’s no coincidence that there’s a family-oriented focus. Obviously tons of women are entrepreneurs, and in general, entrepreneurs come in all shapes, sizes and age groups, most of us can identify to some degree with the guy in the video and his situation, at least to some extent.
3. Element of Mystery – When you see the video for the first time, it’s not clear exactly what it’s all about. While it might seem like a bad idea to keep your audience guessing, it’s actually a great technique for hooking people into watching and paying closer attention. For proof, just look to TV shows like Lost, where they’ve taken the “keep ‘em guessing” factor to new levels with tremendous success. The look on the faces of the kids


Come over here, lol
http://www.youtube.com/user/JohnEWordslinger

Last edited by WordSlinger 07-31-2010 at 03:04:11 PM

RE: Street poets VS. Academic poets

Excellent information, John, and I thank you for sharing....best to you.

RE: Street poets VS. Academic poets

There is some fine teaching going on here,
and some fine poetry written from The School of Poetry,
I see more and more poets engaged in Street/Acedemics here, lol.
So with the tools that I have so far, and have shared.
I would like to see some great poetic videos, they are a pain in the donkey,
but it's fun, a camera is the trick capturing original photo/shoots etc..
That's the key, I don't have one as of yet, because, I am not an Octopuss, but If I was there would be slinging everywhere, lol.
I think OP is working on a section for OP 3.0 for us.
I shoot them an idea, so give Pac-Man some time.
The codex net stuff is a whole lingo itself, lol
Do you all remember C+ is school, lol, I do and don't, but that is the back bone.
Ok when you or anyone sets up a youtube id, add me so I know.
There are other poets as well on my site that will help, just introduce yourself,
and check out there work.

Enjoy,

WS

RE: Street poets VS. Academic poets

heya my awesome wordslinging friend.......lol.....yes I'm trying to make your head swell......grinsss......ya know I love all your work...thanks for the youtube invite.....I have a couple videos I made on my youtube page, I am working hard on learning how to make some poetry videos, but anyway have a look at the two I have.....one is rather shocking about the plight of wolves the other is some of my picture I took of wildlife and put to a certain kind of songs to give it a comical edge...if you watch what pictures show along with certain words in the songs(ex; friends in low places, you should see image of the toad)...lol.....keeping my fingers crossed that the timing comes out right on your end.....hopes ya enjoy...oh and btw, have a read please of my post from yesterday morning and I hopes ya get a good laugh out of my blunder.....sitting here with my arm in a sling can't move it but at least I did not break my shoulder.........the post is called..."Oie Vay, I Fell Down and Went Boom.........lol.....yes it is meant to give everyone a laugh....also, check out the post I did today on some really great art mom sent me in email this morning...its not a poem just some great art.....post title is "What Great Artistic Creativity.....thanks my awesome friend......grinssssss
loves ya
asha

http://www.youtube.com/user/Ashadi9895

add me as your friend when you get there.....thanks loves ya again

RE: Street poets VS. Academic poets

Originally posted by ApaqRasgirl :

Some of my poems come out as prose, more often I play or try to play
the rhyming game with it. Which ever one I do, it is all the same to me,
for I do not need or have the knowledge to use big fancy words to
express the emotions/feelings or statement my poem is intended to express.......
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Way to go, Asha. You have expressed the feelings of 90% of the poets
on this site, and I applaud you for your bravery...

................................................................gogant

RE: Street poets VS. Academic poets

One does not need the fancy words, Asha.....read Sylvia Plath's DADDY and you'll know what I mean. The important thing in poetry is the emotion you are able to put into it. When you can transfer the passion from your body into your poem, people will know it. When you fake it, people will know that, too. Actually I wrote a small ditty to illustrate that point....

My poems may not be classics;
They may never make the grade
That separates the amateurs
From masters of their trade.
They may never reach anthologies
Or even magazines,
Or ever be considered masterful,
By any means.

They may go through Time unnoticed
But, one thing I promise you,
Is, whatever I may offer
Is the best that I can do.

There's a chance I'm not as gifted
Or, as my ex-wife believed,
That my father's sperm count faltered
On the day I was conceived.

Perhaps my grey cell count is lower
Than another man's
But, whenever I present myself,
I do the best I can.

A poem has integrity.
It puts us on display.
A testament of our beliefs
Is there in what we say.

Sincerity cannot be faked;
Pride has no substitute.
If we don't give it our best shot,
Why take the time to shoot?

Let's help enrich each other
And this world in which we live.
In poetry, and friendship, give
The best that you can give.