Easter Parade in New York City

[linda1123]

I loved the Easter Parade in New York City
There were balloons of Popeye The Sailor
Mickey Mouse and all the cartoon characters
Cotton candy and caramel apples
The shops had real bunny rabbits and little yellow ducks
The chocolate, melt in your mouth
As I watched the parade I saw
Ladies beautifully dressed, with Easter Bonnets
It was hard to pick the best one
As they all were a starlight from heaven

There were games to play and gifts to win
All the traffic stopped to watch the fun
There was always a big crowd
So happy to see everyone

The shoes were the latest style
I always loved Easter more than Christmas
For an Easter Parade means hope
The King of kings has risen
We are saved, washed clean from our sins
Jesus walks among us all the time
We are free because Jesus went to the cross
To save mankind

Linda Ann Henry
Do you remember me
The people's poet

[blp]

This is like one of those holographic images of Jesus where, if you change your position, he shuts his eyes.

Oh Linda. Linda Linda Linda. The thing that bothers me most, is you'll probably become a millionaire off the back of this stuff. But honestly, Jon1jt, in the post that got removed, was quite right to pull you up on calling yourself the people's poet. It's really a little soon for that.

[emily655321]

Which people has claimed you as its poet, Linda? They must have held the vote somewhere I'd never, ever go voluntarily... like the Easter parade.

I'm glad you have the confidence in yourself and in your work to make such a statement. But honestly, I don't see you saying anything very important here. You don't use any symbolism, meter, or rhyme scheme. You don't attempt to express an original idea, and some of the imagery seems completely random without anything else to tie it into the theme ("The shoes were the latest style/I always loved Easter more than Christmas").

I think you have the ability to take your poetry to a more meaningful level, but it won't happen as long as you just regurgitate the sentiments in Hallmark greeting cards. Try to think of something that no one else has ever thought of before, or try to see something from an angle that isn't usually portrayed. It might also be a useful tool to storyboard or outline your poems before you write them, so that every line relates to the others, rather than trying to come up with something off the top of your head when you come to a space that's hard to fill.

[jon1jt]

In the deleted post, Ms. Walt Whitman here claims that she has poetic insight because she has suffered in a way most people have not. So this life experience makes her an authority on butterflies, Jesus, flowers, friendship, parades, and war, especially war. (by the way, I am very pleased that her Iraq poem was deleted)

First of all, life experience is not a prerequisite to great writing. The last I checked Jack London never visited Alaska and that Call of the Wild story of his is pretty amazing. We're all suffering in our own way. She says she's in a wheelchair and found out she was adopted when she was in her 50s. I'm sorry for your troubles, Linda, but don't use that as a way to be an authority on life experience vis-a-vis poetry because I don't buy it.

I strongly suggest that you take Emily's advice because no one so far considered your work to be interesting; it's a watered-down version of poetry writing at best. Don't get me wrong, life experience is the basis of great poetry, but you have to bring a little more to the table here before you claim yourself to be the "people's poet." Consider the first four lines of this poem:

I loved the Easter Parade in New York City
There were balloons of Popeye The Sailor
Mickey Mouse and all the cartoon characters
Cotton candy and caramel apples

It's little different from me looking out my apartment window and in a similar fashion writing,

I loved looking out the front window, which was open
There's a big tree and yellow house across the street
My neighbor walks her dog
Budding flowers and a tail, wagging


BLP: You made a great point. I wouldn't doubt it if Linda one day goes on to make a ton of money for her poetry or for writing one of those "How to Write Poetry" books! And you and I will be left scratching our heads wondering why!

[Logos]

(by the way, I am very pleased that her Iraq poem was deleted)

The Iraq poem (because of the current politcs issue) was only removed from the main forums, not deleted. We don't delete stuff here, just wanted to clarify that

[Xamonas Chegwe]

I'm only posting in this thread because everyone else did; these comments apply equally to all of your other postings. This poem and all of your others are saccharine coated dross. It is not even close to being good enough for greetings cards. Read John Donne, Milton, George Herbert or William Blake if you'd like to know how to express religious sentiments in poetry without sounding like you OD'd on sugar-coated, honey-flavoured syrup.

People's poet? Don't make me laugh. Although you could probably find work as the people's emetic.

[emily655321]

I think that's a tad harsh on Linda. I read her response to Jon on the other thread, and clearly she cares very deeply about what she's doing. I don't mean to discourage anyone from writing poetry, especially if it fills an important role in her life. Everyone needs to have a special way of expressing him/herself.

I think Linda's poetry comes from a very sincere place, she just needs to work a little harder at communicating through her words what that inspiration is. One of poetry's most important functions is to set a mood and make the reader feel what you are feeling about the subject, and that takes a lot of effort and practice. Especially if you're beginning to write later in life, I imagine it must be a bit more difficult to get into the swing of things.

[lavendar1]

I agree with you, Emily655321. Still, I'm compelled to add my two cents worth. It seems to me we've got a bad case of dueling extreme views here.

Linda, have you ever read an essay by Tolstoy called "What is Art?" If you haven't, check it out. His views in the essay (that art is "a means of union among men, joining them together in the same feelings...indispensible for...progress toward well-being of individuals and humanity") remind me of yours. Also, U.S. Poet Laureate (did I spell that right?) of a few years ago, Robert Pinsky, made a point of bringing poetry "to the people" and said some of the best poetry he ever encountered was when he traveled the country going into small town America and asking 'regular' people to read what they'd written.

jon, blp, and Xamonas, your ideas remind me of those of the French poet, Paul Valery (he was around about the same time as Wallace Stevens, but then you probably already know that). He was more of a purist, an elitist, if you will, commenting in his book, The Art of Poetry, that he loved the art as it became "more mysterious, narrower, more inaccessible to the crowd." He took it even further, to say that "if its ultimate expressions remain the luxury of a small number" it was okay, as long as the "few elect" could understand and appreciate it.

My thought is this to all: Keep writing! Each with your own unique style. Maybe, as Kipling said, "East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet." But, so what? I think this forum's big enough for all of us -- it's that dynamic that keeps me coming back here.

[blp]

And my thought is: start reading. If simplicity of expression is your goal, Linda, I'm in favour, but that's very different from just setting your thoughts down any old how - as you can learn from numerous poets whom Lavendar seems to assume I don't like. I'm not quite sure above what bar elitism begins in poetry, but, a means of union among men or no, I think there's a strong case for suggesting that a certain strangeness is endemic to the endeavour. You get it even when you don't want it sometimes - as in this poem. Unfortunately, however, you really will be hard pressed to find a model for unshaded, pollyannaish optimism anywhere in anyone's canon, even the least 'elitist'.

[lavendar1]

And my thought is: start reading. If simplicity of expression is your goal, Linda, I'm in favour, but that's very different from just setting your thoughts down any old how - as you can learn from numerous poets whom Lavendar seems to assume I don't like.

blp, I assume nothing. Isn't there some sort of ditty that says that to 'assume' accomplishes nothing but making an a** out of you and me?
Forgive the silliness: I simply don't take kindly to seeing someone who's obviously sincere get bashed and belittled, for whatever reason.

As to your poets of choice -- they are simply that -- your choice. I do agree that reading and writing go hand-in-hand, though. But I also believe that over-reading of other's material has the potential to impede creativity. In fact, I recall a time when I absolutely wouldn't read any other writer's styles -- I was convinced I could come up with a style all my own!

In short, I simply believe we all approach 'art' in whatever form, from our own perspective; who's to say which is more meritorious?

[jon1jt]

Lavender. If I'm to assume that your perspective is the middle between the two extremes I'll take the extreme view any day. I don't know where you come off suggesting that Xamonas, BLP, and me are purists. If I post a poem that blows and somebody hammers it, then I accept that criticism because I assumed the risk putting it on here, especially in the case I indicate I'm the "people's poet."

Linda tore into me because I disagreed with her politically loaded poem on the U.S. invasion of Iraq. She's very nasty too and obviously can't accept criticism, claiming to have thousands of online fans who "understand her work" and that I'm too closed-minded and will never understand her. And that's not being a snob??

I'm not sure the kind of people Pinksy met in his journeys across small-town America who shared their poetry with him, but I'm sure he came across some like Linda's and he was just being encouraging with that kind of statement. This Parade poem reads like a journal entry, or am I seriously missing something here??

[jon1jt]

In short, I simply believe we all approach 'art' in whatever form, from our own perspective; who's to say which is more meritorious?

This is the kind of statement that makes me vomit. The answer to your silly relativistic babble is that artistic merit is determined by the collective spirit, which is part of that symbiotic unity between artist and spectator - the I and thou - from beginning to end. Of course it's our own form - and I don't deny there's integrity in that - but it's not consummated until it's "put out there" as in the case of a conductor and his audience. Form will not take shape without aim - without an end. You obviously missed BLP's point, completely. Well said, BLP.

[emily655321]

She's very nasty too and obviously can't accept criticism, claiming to have thousands of online fans who "understand her work" and that I'm too closed-minded and will never understand her. And that's not being a snob??

No, that's being hypersensitive to criticism due to insecurities about her own worth as a writer. When someone reacts like that, it means you've hurt them badly, and it's time to back off.

[lavendar1]

This is the kind of statement that makes me vomit. The answer to your silly relativistic babble is that artistic merit is determined by the collective spirit, which is part of that symbiotic unity between artist and spectator - the I and thou - from beginning to end. Of course it's our own form - and I don't deny there's integrity in that - but it's not consummated until it's "put out there" as in the case of a conductor and his audience. Form will not take shape without aim - without an end. You obviously missed BLP's point, completely. Well said, BLP.

Sorry to have aroused such a fierce reaction in you, jon1jt. And thanks for the vote of confidence re: my intellect. I could "chew the fat" with you, if I chose to 'engage,' but I don't. I guess I just don't take all this as seriously as you.

But the bottom line is that I see no merit in 'high browing' -- especially when it's at someone else's expense.

[Jay]

As this has got way off topic here, I'm closing the thread.