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Open Poetry #38
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Unpoetic Nonpoem
| Open Poetry #38 |
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Unpoetic Nonpoem |
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OwlSA Member Rara Avis
since 2005-11-07
Posts 9347Durban, South Africa 
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UNPOETIC NONPOEM (To a Jamaican and a Belgian) May 1999 Writhe in your anger and at the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will forget you. If you, your thoughts or your actions were important to me, I would have written you a poem, but the rod goes up and the rod goes down and the moving belt goes round and round AND nobody I know has ever heard of you. This is a free country. So certainly you may decline our invitation, just as we may invite whom we wish And not invite whom we don’t. The rod goes up and the rod goes down and the moving belt goes round and round and NOBODY I know has ever heard of you. This is a free country. So you may choose to avoid foul language, just as we may choose not to expose our pupils to it. The rod goes up and the rod goes down and the moving belt goes round and round and nobody I know has ever heard of you. The school didn’t know of you. All I told them was that you were from Jamaica and Flanders, and in each case, I told them your name, but by the end of the day, they’ll have forgotten the same, and by the end of the week, from whence you came. And the school, isn’t mad about poetry, anyway. So the school, who didn’t want you, lost nothing. In fact, they gained the otherwise scheduled lesson that they would have lost if you had met your commitments. And the gifts we would have given you will do for someone else who will appreciate them - they are wrapped and waiting. Yes, we lost nothing, but you missed meeting 600-and-something pupils, 18 teachers 4 secretaries and a supervisor. The rod goes up and the rod down and the moving belt goes round and round and nobody I KNOW has ever heard of you It was only I who wanted you - No, not you (for neither of you were friendly), It was your poetry I wanted - or at least the Jamaican’s - for bland poetry doesn’t move me - but then I had heard the best of her poetry and seen through her cold smiles. So I lost nothing. You tried to take from us, but we gained this poem. The rod goes up and the rod goes down and the moving belt goes round and round and nobody I know HAS ever heard of you. This is a free country. So certainly you may discriminate against us because you think we have discriminated against a poet who is described in the program as non-political, “anti-poetic”, “negative”, “pessimistic”, “holding a marginal place in Afrikaans literature” and whose collection of stories is entitled "Kort van Draad". The rod goes up and the rod goes down and the moving belt goes round and round and nobody I know has EVER heard of you. You didn’t let us down - we still have our self-respect. You let yourselves down - and your countries. The rod goes up and the rod goes down and the moving belt goes round and round and nobody I know has ever HEARD of you. You lost the opportunity to share your poetry with more than 618 people and spread it afar. You lost the opportunity to teach us what you felt we lacked. You chose to act in haste and on hearsay and you chose not to discuss the matter with me and so you lost an opportunity to see that you were acting on false premises and you lost the chance to save yourselves from looking ridiculous. The rod goes up and the rod goes down and the moving belt goes round and round and nobody I know has ever heard OF you. You gave us your hate, scorn and anger. We gave you our pity. The rod goes up and the rod goes down and the moving belt goes round and round and nobody I know has ever heard of YOU. The rod goes up and the rod goes down and the moving belt goes round and round AND NOBODY I KNOW HAS EVER HEARD OF YOU. You went up to the stage and you went down and your words went round and round - in hollow circles and nobody I know will ever remember you. The pendulum swings on the clock on the wall And the lights go out one by one in the hall. But we forgive you your hate, your hot-headed ignorance, your assumptions, and your bad manners, and we shall certainly forget you … - Owl |
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| © Copyright 2006 Diana van den Berg - All Rights Reserved | |||
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Martie
Moderator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-09-21
Posts 28049California |
Wow! Diana...this is a very powerful piece!! I'm not quite sure what it's about, except that I read prejudice, intolerance, anger, pity and forgiveness....lots to pack into one poem...and yes, it is a poem.  |
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OwlSA Member Rara Avis
since 2005-11-07
Posts 9347Durban, South Africa |
Thanks, Martie. And, yes, all those things you read in the poem, are there. I was an English teacher at an Afrikaans school at the time and I had attended Africa 99, our annual poetry festival, to which poets from all over the world were invited. I organised for 2 poets to visit the school and read the school some of their poetry. The principal asked me to ask them not to read profanities and they took exception to this and refused to visit the school. I tried to get them to agree to discuss the matter with me, but they refused. - Owl |
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Magnus
since 2001-10-10
Posts 14135South Carolina, USA |
All I can say is it is their loss... and the gain is naught when those asked are of such a demeanor... |
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Lighthousebob Member Elite
since 2000-06-14
Posts 4725California |
Like Martie, I wasn't too sure exactly what your poem/prose was about but I liked the repetitive chant like aspect or the kind of refrain throughout and I thought that it was creative the way the capitalized words moved along the line like a box on a conveyer belt (it kept my interest)... and, though mis-treated, I really really liked the reaction given at the end -- Forgiving and Forgetting. -Bob |
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The Lady Member Rara Avis
since 2005-12-26
Posts 7634The Southwest |
It's a truly remarkable poem Diana. I cannot tell you how I enjoyed it. |
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iliana Member Patricius
since 2003-12-05
Posts 13434USA |
This poem illustrates very well, choices. Being a free country, people can choose what they want....but, consideration for others is always something to think about. Sometimes, it's a tough balancing act, but I would have thought they might have had something to share with those kids....maybe all they had was profanity? Odd, that both of them refused. Well....it takes all kinds for the world to float, right? Anyhow, you did a good job of expressing yourself here. *smile*....jo |
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Lighthousebob Member Elite
since 2000-06-14
Posts 4725California |
Thank you iliana for the clarification. I think where I got confused was... quote: ... but, I do see here in a later reply that the guest poets were actually a no show. Owl, Your poem is very well written and I am sorry for MY confusion. -Bob |
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iliana Member Patricius
since 2003-12-05
Posts 13434USA |
LighthouseBoB, I am not sure I interpreted Owl's poem correctly or not. She did explain that she saw them at a poetry convention or something. Just my take on it. Perhaps, she can elaborate further on the up and down thing. *smile* |
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OwlSA Member Rara Avis
since 2005-11-07
Posts 9347Durban, South Africa |
Thanks, Magnus. Yes, it was their loss, though ours too up to a point, but it was only I and a few pupils who really loved poetry who knew of ours. The whole school would have been exposed to it, and I could possibly have had a few more pupils and some teachers who may have joined the ranks of being poetry lovers. Thank you, Bob. I'm glad the chant and the moving of the capitalised word worked. Thank you, Kate. I am glad you enjoyed it. Thank you, jo. I had actually asked for the Jamaican and a South African poet. None of the Jamaican's poetry was profane - it was actually quite lovely (although not up to the standard of Pip's best), but the South African poet had a few profanities, and my school principal had asked me to ask that there be no profanities (understandable, especially at an Afrikaans school - as Afrikaners are inclined to be more conservative), so it would have been a case of selecting poems without profanities or editing the odd word here and there. However, he refused to come and the organisers suggested that we get the Belgian instead, but both of them refused in support of and solidarity with the South African poet. Quite honestly, I found the Belgian's poetry somewhat bland, but sorta nice so I didn't too much mind missing his poetry, but I was sorry that the school didn't hear the Jamaican's poetry - as I think hers would have appealed to quite a few pupils in the school who hadn't ever been exposed to poetry in an appealing way. Well, as you and I say, they were free to make that choice. However, I thought that they were very unfair (why punish the children for the request that came from one person!), childish, prejudiced, intolerant, short-sighted and quite frankly, stupid. I think it was meant to have had something to do with appartheid (but that had been dispensed with 5 years previously, and the real irony is that the South African poet was white - and what is more, Afrikaans, - and it was the Afrikaners (NOT all Afrikaners, of course) mainly who had perpetrated the appartheid situation!). Oh, well, I really can no longer remember the names of those poets (as promised!), and the school only heard theirs a few times and would have forgotten them in a few days at most. I have since resigned my teaching position at the school and have been an estate agent since 2003 and I don't think that any teacher at the school would have had any interest in inviting any of the poets of the Poetry Africa 2000 etc events. - Owl |
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Lighthousebob Member Elite
since 2000-06-14
Posts 4725California |
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OwlSA Member Rara Avis
since 2005-11-07
Posts 9347Durban, South Africa |
Thanks for the continued interest, Bob and iliana. Yes, Iliana, you understood and interpreted my nonpoem (they didn't deserve a poem) perfectly! Going up to the stage and down (one poet after another) was what happened at the poetry convention. - Owl |
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iliana Member Patricius
since 2003-12-05
Posts 13434USA |
Glad I did, Owl. A shame, the lack of interest...a challenge for so many teachers nowaday. *hugs*....jo |
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Midnitesun
since 2001-05-18
Posts 28647Gaia |
What a fascinating 'nonpoem', which holds more of the poetry of life than most posts I've read.  Diana, thank you for the extended replies you've given, in explaining some of the background of this piece. The world of Poetry loses, but mostly, the people involved all lost a golden opportunity. It is a terrible shame when a handful of words becomes such a stumbling block, a literal barricade between people sharing thoughts, hopes, frustrations, dreams...what I see as the beauty of ~diversity~ inherent in the multitude of hues reflected in a rainbow. Makes me want to write another peace rainbow piece. ~GRIN~ I will print this piece out if I may, and share it with others. Into my library for now. |
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latearrival Member Ascendant
since 2003-03-21
Posts 5499Florida |
OwlSA, I,like Bob, enjoyed the way the words moved along with a different one being capitalized each round. Very interesting piece. martyjo |
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OwlSA Member Rara Avis
since 2005-11-07
Posts 9347Durban, South Africa |
Thanks, jo. Yes, it is such a pity, isn't it? Thanks, Kacy. Yes, of course you may print it out and share it with whomever you like! I feel very honoured that you want to do that. Yes, it is such a pity that people get so tied up in negative things that animals wouldn't touch with their beautiful little (or middle-sized or huge) noses under any circumstances. I'm not able to be online very often or for very long at a time at the moment, but am looking forward to, and will look out for, your next peace rainbow piece. If I don't get to see it, perhaps you wouldn’t mind dropping me an email to say you have posted it. Thanks, martyjo. I must admit, I am quite chuffed with the effect of the capitalization, myself. It works rather well when read aloud, if I say so myself. Blushing at my vanity. - Owl |
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LeeJ Member Patricius
since 2003-06-19
Posts 13296 |
sometimes, somethings are meant to be, in your favor, I might add... this was poetry at it's best, really enjoyed this, especially after your explaination...exceptional writing... |
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OwlSA Member Rara Avis
since 2005-11-07
Posts 9347Durban, South Africa |
Wow, Lee, thank you. I am very honoured by what you say - and yes, thinking about "meant to be", I believe you are right. - Owl |
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CastleGuard Senior Member
since 2003-04-30
Posts 760Alberta, Canada |
Powerful writing, OwlSA, further demonstrating how compromise and understanding, even on small scale, if applied, could potentially benefit all involved. So needed in today's world... CG |
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OwlSA Member Rara Avis
since 2005-11-07
Posts 9347Durban, South Africa |
Thank you CastleGuard. Yes, you are right. I think an awful lot of the blame can be laid at the doors of parents who don't teach their children sound values, especially because humans are a gregarious species. However, children are not blameless either. At a very early age, they know the difference between right and wrong about far, far more than we would imagine. I have seen this for myself on many an occasion. If only we had as many values and self-discipline as - for example - Vervet monkeys! - Owl |
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