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Book 6 Page 21

Poet’s liberty

 

Now if you want us poets to explain ever word we say,

I’m afraid that’s just ‘out of order.’

We poets don’t have to answer to anybody

cause we think that you! ought to;

 

take what we say at face value and in your own particular way.

Read what you want! / We don’t mind!

Our stuff is meant to just float around your consciousness

as if, in another time.

 

Now consider how one would go about explaining the line;

“the answer my friend, is blowing in the wind.”

Exactly what "answer" is blowing in the wind

and exactly what is the question and who put it there?

and anyway! who the hell cares!

 

It’s quite simply a ridiculous proposition

for a poet to always make plain and simple sense.

If that was the case, we couldn’t say a word,

and we’d be all broke without two dims or a pence.

 

For when reading poetry,

you’ve just got to open up your heart,

and then the words get through, (past your critical side,)

to join up all your parts.

 

If you don’t do this, (then the poets words

will often sound like tripe.)

Especially poems that deal with love and matters of the heart,

and the deeper ‘meanings of life.’

 

I believe I could speak for most poets when I say;

“The art of poetry is in making feelings come alive,

by mixing thoughts and emotions and experience

in a context and setting of a ‘magical time.’”

 

And if we had to say things as a ‘matter of fact,’

if we had to justify everything, that would simply be absurd.

The rich images and colours would drain from our poetry,

leaving a terrain of barren dry and uninteresting words.

 

© Written by Dominic John Gill www.poetry.net.au  9/10/99 dominicj7@poetry.net.au