Tuesday, April 16, 2019

The Tuesday Platform: You are a Poet! (Poems in April ~ Day 16)

This is Not a Man, 1993–1994, oil and acrylic on canvas, 68 x 36 in, by Lawrence Ferlinghetti


Poetry as Insurgent Art [I am signaling you through the flames]

I am signaling you through the flames.

The North Pole is not where it used to be.

Manifest Destiny is no longer manifest.

Civilization self-destructs.

Nemesis is knocking at the door.

What are poets for, in such an age?
What is the use of poetry?

The state of the world calls out for poetry to save it.

If you would be a poet, create works capable of answering the challenge of apocalyptic times, even if this meaning sounds apocalyptic.

You are Whitman, you are Poe, you are Mark Twain, you are Emily Dickinson and Edna St. Vincent Millay, you are Neruda and Mayakovsky and Pasolini, you are an American or a non-American, you can conquer the conquerors with words....

Poetry as Insurgent Art by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Copyright © 2007 by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. All rights reserved.

Happy Tuesday! This is Anmol (alias HA) and I thought that it is prudent that we celebrate the poetics of Lawrence Ferlinghetti (who recently turned 100 on 24th March) when many of us are participating in the 30-day writing challenge this month. In his long career, he has been a poet, a translator, a painter, an activist, a publisher, an art critic, and a lot more (not forgetting him as one of the founders of the Beat movement). He has made the literary avenues and arts richer through his many contributions.

For The Tuesday Platform, add one link to a poem, old or new, in the linking widget down below. If you are participating in the writing challenge/seeking inspiration, here is an optional challenge for today (the 16th day — you are half way through. Yay!):

Write a poem titled, "Poetry as...," perhaps in the style of Ferlinghetti who speaks of poetry as an insurgent art while exhorting the poets to use their language and expression to save the world by answering/heeding all the challenges that we face today. Let your imagination soar and think of the many things that poetry can be. Here are some titles that I can think of (you can choose one of these as well) — Poetry as Poison, Poetry as World Annihilation, Poetry as a Criticism of Poets, Poetry as a Lonely Endeavour, et al.

After you have added your link, do not forget to visit others and share your thoughts with them on their linked verses. I wish you all a great week ahead.

15 comments:

Susie Clevenger said...

Great prompt!!

Kim M. Russell said...

Thank you for the Ferlinghetti prompt, Anmol!

Yvonne Osborne said...

Thank you for this prompt. Ferlinghetti is one of my poetry heroes, as are all of The Beats. I add my modest effort to the pond.

Kerry O'Connor said...

Wonderful to be able to honour a living poet at the time of his 100th birthday!

Anmol (HA) said...

Happy Tuesday, everyone! I am glad that Ferlinghetti's verse has been a wonderful source of inspiration. I am so looking forward to reading your take on this theme.

Marian said...

Anmol, how wonderful!! Wow, I love this prompt and will respond to it, how could I not, it's Ferlinghetti!
I've been plugging along at a poem each day but more often not in timely response to prompts, so haven't been linking here in the Garden much. I'll write to this prompt later in the week and am linking up with one I wrote over the weekend in case anyone wants to read. I have lost all track of time and date! Has anyone else?? Sheesh.
Anyway, enjoy and we are half way there!! xo

Anmol (HA) said...

Dear Yvonne, your link turned out to be broken. I have edited it and provided the link to the actual post. :-)

Linda Lee Lyberg said...

Anmol- thank you for an interesting prompt.. Looking forward to reading everyone else's.

Sherry Blue Sky said...

This is a very good prompt, Anmol. Cool.

Sherry Blue Sky said...

The responses to this are making me SO HAPPY! The power of the pen!!!!!!

brudberg said...

It's late and I need my sleep... will get back and read more tomorrow.

Rosemary Nissen-Wade said...

Thanks, I love Ferlinghetti.

I'm afraid I'm flagging a bit when it comes to commenting – but will get there eventually.

Having trouble posting my link today, keep being asked to accept the privacy policy, but when I click OK I still can't get in. Busy day coming up, can you please try and link it for me?
https://enheduannasdaughter.blogspot.com/2019/04/poetry-as-cat.html

Margaret said...

...with a poem a day I have a few "in stock" that I used here. The visiting and commenting is keeping me pretty busy - a few at the beginning of the month I might not get to - but I'm trying to stay up to date now... I'm actually a bit exhausted - my poems will be getting shorter and shorter I think. :) Thank you for hosting.

Rosemary Nissen-Wade said...

No it's all right, I managed to post my link after all.

kaykuala said...

Apologies Anmol,
Hank messed up the earlier 2 links. Please if you can delete the links #21 and #26. Thank you.

Hank