Shakespeare Doesn't Live Here Anymore

charles69

 

Shakespeare doesn't live here anymore
Mama doesn't cry when she opens daddy's door
My uncle, he comes often, and really is a bore
They try to sell us what we don't care for anymore

An Indian chief, they say, used to own this land
The neighbors are too good, to lend a helping hand
The barn we built is rotting in the sand
The only songs we like, are played by a foreign band

The luck we have is bad, but it could be a whole lots worse
I fell in love for a moment, with my stupid doctor's nurse
I taught the children what they know, except the way to curse
I stole some pretty flowers, and bummed a ride in a minority's hearse

If you don't go to school, you won't know how to flirt
You'll never know it all, unless you eat some dirt
They spanked my brother once again, he said it didn't hurt
Don't you know the Chinese have made you a pretty shirt

When asked to join the club, you better not refuse
When you play a game with heroes, it's ok if you only lose
Don't believe it if you're told that you cannot sing the blues
I think I've something better, than the TV and it's news

The science of behavior is just a foolish name
You may be free tomorrow, but you'll never be the same
I wish I weren't guilty, and that you deserved the blame
The ones we thought were wild, they all turned out to be tame

  • Author: charles69 (Offline Offline)
  • Published: March 18th, 2023 05:46
  • Comment from author about the poem: The news editor at the largest daily newspaper in this half of the state , after reading this poem, asked me to let him write an article, with photos, for the paper. Like all would be writers, I am very happy for the recognition.
  • Category: Unclassified
  • Views: 20
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Comments +

Comments3

  • David Wakeling

    Although a lot of work has been put in to write this I could really understand any of it.Nothing is explained.

    • charles69

      I know what you mean about this poem, and have doubts about this type of writing that plague me quite a lot. But what about Bob Dylan\'s songs (which I consider poetry) like \"Baby Blue\", \"You Ain\'t
      Going Nowhere\", and the great one , \"Blowin\' In The Wind\". And what about the poetry of someone like Lewis Carroll, with poems like \"The Walrus And The Carpenter\" , \"Jabberwocky\", and somewhat
      nonsense stories like \"Alice In Wonderland\" ? I don\'t feel that we can deny the power and art of
      such works, yet they cannot, or have no explanation. I like the way I feel writing poems like this, and how I feel after reading them. I think there is a need in linguistics for study of this type of songs and/or poems. The only explanation about meaning that I can offer is that each line has a separate meaning, all to itself, and there is little general meaning of the poem that I can see, even though I wrote it. What do you think? Does any of this make sense? I think you have a point, and I\'d like to discuss this idea with you.
      Looking forward to hearing from you.
      I would be glad to hear from anyone who has input in this matter.

      • David Wakeling

        Bob Dylan like the Beatles did not deserve their success.It was "of a time".The time was the 60's when everything was about "protest". the "teenager" was invented and those teenagers were not happy about the War in Vietnam,Equal rights for women etc.The growth of Popular music was a slap in the face to the establishment.Anything that was "meaningless" or" interpretive" was included in literature.Just like meaningless music feed the protesters so to did drugs.Bob Dylan wrote most of his stream of consciousness while on drugs.Lewis Carrol or Charles Dodgson was a photographer and a mathematician who suffered "migraine" episodes which were like using drugs.I read your poem and could not see why I had to work so hard to "interpret" any meaning.If I had to work hard then I would not enjoy the process.Stream of consciousness poetry has a place in literature Just not my house.Sorry

        • charles69

          I appreciate your opinion, but have disagreements with it. Most of the poetry on this site borders on \\\"Stream of Consciousness\\\" or elusive meanings, and one has to work to find the explanation, the
          meaning of the poem. I also think if someone else had written Dylan\\\'s songs and Lewis Carroll had not
          had migranes, the results would have been the same. And the songs would be great, on their own. The
          establishment of the 60\\\'s was in many ways corrupt and needed criticism. I still believe the Vietnam war was unjustified, although I lost friends who were killed in action and some later by things like agent
          orange.I did not and would never protest by marching with a NVRA flag . Why is abstract art so popular and in demand today? Where is the meaning there? I believe it serves a purpose and so does such as my poem.Remember what the scoundrel, Bill Clinton said, \" Whatever you believe, you could be wrong\"
          Most stream of consciousness is not my favorite, and also I dislike insane exclamatory poetry (with clearness but no meaning) which you will find here too.

        • Norman Flagtea

          I really liked your poem, Charles! "Stream of Consciousness" is always a very creative and powerful method to me. (If it is a method at all.)
          Lawrence Ferlinghetti says: The poet doesn't have to understand his poems.
          And Archibald McLeish wrote: A poem should not mean. But be.

          • charles69

            Thanks Norman. Your comments are a significant contribution to this question.But you have to be careful with \"Stream of Consciousness\" I think. Some prominent poets today have , in my opinion, misused the method terribly. One for example is the poet L.A. Johnson who has won several highly regarded contests, and appears to be the darling of such editors as Tim Green at the
            magazine \"Rattle\". Many of these prominent magazines, \"Poetry\", \"The Kenyon Review\", \"The Mississippi Review\" have an unhealthy, and underserved grip on the recognition of today\'s poetry. I would publish a poetic essay I wrote on this problem, but I think it would be too long.
            Thanks again for your recognition and great input.I am going to read some of your work in a few minutes.

          • 2781

            I thought it was great.



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