COLUMN: Be a poet and show it
Some ingenious person, in the vast and complicated history of the ancient world, must have sat down after getting back from a particularly difficult nine-to-five work day somewhere in Egypt or the Mesopotamia (making pottery, or whatever those ancient people did) and decided this human society needed find a way to weasel themselves out of work.
Thus was the great invention of holidays set in place. As a result of this unknown hero, we now have Christmas vacation, Easter, Labor Day, Memorial Day and the Super Bowl, among many others. Because of all we owe this person, I propose we celebrate his or her birthday, and since we don’t know when that is, we’ll celebrate it every day of the year just to cover our bases.
OK, I hate to admit it, but some strange and sick people out there just aren’t going to agree to a year-long vacation – they’re too dedicated to working (I know, I don’t understand either). But don’t worry, I have a goal of reaching this year-long vacation someday, and I think it could be accomplished by slowly instigating intervals of monthly vacations until finally reaching a full year (amazing, isn’t it, the work I’ll go through to not have to work).
In order to initiate my plan, I was about to go out and have the month of April dedicated as Roadkill Awareness Month, but in doing so, I found out April was already assigned a topic. Someone has dedicated April to be National Poetry Month (oh well, there’s always May for the roadkill thing). How many out there actually knew April was National Poetry Month before now?
OK, now how many of you who don’t have English professors knew it? That should be everyone, and that is what seems to be the problem. With the lack of prestige Poetry Month has generated, it will be impossible for it to reach the status of an entire month of celebration out of work or school. The solution then, is to bring Poetry Month such wide-spread attention, it will be impossible to ignore. The next thing you know, we will have a month-long vacation to celebrate it.
Normally I would play my routine role of hypocrite, sit back and call everyone else to arms in this case, but I have succeeded in getting so gung-ho about my own cause, I have actually written a poem to get us started in the right direction. For your benefit, I’ve included my work of art here:
Sonnet No. 0/0
(I was told “Sonnet” is a default title for any poem as long as you put some random number by it. This text in parentheses, by the way, is not a part of the poem.)
The butterfly fanned its wings in the air
On a springtime flower, flaxen and fair.
The sun’s golden rays fell down to the earth,
Completing this setting of priceless worth.
Observing this scene inside his classroom,
A student contemplated his ill fated doom.
This butterfly enjoyed per fect freedom,
Living in its own Garden of Eden.
Meanwhile, he was trapped inside of the school
Where guidelines, teach ers, math and English rule.
He turned from the win dow and sighed bleakly,
“Oh, to be a butterfly, to be free!”
Outside the butterfly nobly took flight,
When a passing bird ate him in one bite.
Now first of all, I’d like to dispel any rumors going about that I am actually a professional poet, although I’m sure that last poem might lead you to think otherwise. Even though I have been given many offers by some pretty prestigious third-world countries to be their poet laureate, I have graciously declined knowing how important my work is here among you all (my generosity knows no bounds, I’m sure you’re thinking).
Now, if I can write some poetry for this excellent cause, then I know you can. Think about it. If we can pull this poetry thing off, it would be real cool, because then we would get out of … um, classes.
Marty Reeder is a junior majoring in English education. Comments can be sent to martr@cc.usu.edu