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Poetic Matrix Comm Page #1

This page is intended as an exchange of ideas, poetry, comments and concerns. I invite your expression on this page via our email address, poeticmatrix@yahoo.com. Write what you feel is appropriate, it will be reviewed and placed on this page for others to see and comment on. Comment on the material on this website, send in a poem, address issue of concern for poets and lovers of poetry.

Thanks to those who have contributed. Lately I have used the phrase "poetic discourse" or "poetic discussion" to get at a notion that we need to put poetry and poetic forms into the way we write and speak. The duplicity in so much of what we read and hear is disconcerting and we need the illuminating quality of poetry in these odd times.

We take as a general theme:
"The role of the artist in community"

Drop us an email. Oldest items are at the end of the list, newest are at the top.

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The following is a piece from Tomás Gayton, his book Yazzo City Blues is one of our Book Partners. I wrote the Preface for the book and he and I put out Two Races One Face in 1994, a book of poetry and prose by a black man and a white man in modern America. - John

The Tyranny of Race

by Tomás Gayton

As I reflect on my travels in the world and my life as an African American I am constantly reminded of the rigid role race plays in human affairs. I use the word race not in its scientific sense but as it has been invidiously applied in modern Western society.

I not only agree with social scientist and African-American activist Cornel West that "Race Matters" but I contend that in the world and at home race rules.

Growing up in America was for me a lesson in coping with the crisis of color. Seattle, Washington was relatively serene in the maelstrom of civil strife and violence that characterized the Civil Rights Era of the sixties. Yet even we in the far Northwest were impelled to struggle against the pernicious phenomenon of white skin privilege and de facto "segregation with a smile."

For one glorious decade in the sixties black America and progressive America were united in the struggle to defeat racial segregation and discrimination in the South. We defeated dejure segregation but have so far been stymied by de facto segregation.

Blacks and whites remain largely segregated in the USA today. Martin Luther King's observation that the most segregated time in America was on Sunday morning, presumably the time when people attend church, remains true today

De facto segregation is fueled by the growing economic divide between urban people of color, poor rural folk and affluent suburban whites. The economic inequality between blacks and whites is rooted in America's ignoble history of slavery, Jim Crow and systematic discrimination based on being Negro ie. having traceable African ancestry.

Notwithstanding the victories we have won in the Civil Rights struggle, socio-economic reality compels us to concede that we have a long way to go in alleviating the lingering legacy of racism in our society. For if we fail to remedy the social evil of racism that festers like a sore in the womb of the world the venom will spread and eventually destroy the body politic.

We as individuals and as a society descended from a common mother on the Serengeti Plain must recommit ourselves to abolish racial discrimination in all its' insidious forms. We must convince our people and our political leaders that by curing the cancer of racism America and the world can achieve the greater goal of social and economic justice for all. Then and only then, as Langston Hughes said, can America be America again.

Let America be America again.
Let it be the dream it used to be.
Let it be the pioneer on the plain
Seeking a home where he himself is free.

(America never was America to me.)

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A response to Scott Whitaker's letter:

(Read Scott's letter here.)

While I don't agree with Scott Whitaker's thinking on there being an obligation to "the white-upper class tradition", I will agree that attention to craft is important. However, in defense of free verse, I would point out that free verse was invented, practiced and promoted by white upper class Americans, William Carlos Williams, H. D. and other Imagists along with Ezra Pound and even T. S. Eliot, in the beginning, were some of them.

The idea was to create new forms that would break with the past and that has been done. Owing to them, and others who came after, we can now write in formal forms and free verse. I don't see that there is any conflict, in fact, I submit there never has been. It's a matter of how you see the big picture and how your decide to write. Scott did say something that was of interest though...

"Perhaps we should be inventing new forms of poetry to speak our political mind. One that combines elements of traditional academic verse with the avant-garde's own snobby and rigid codes."

I'm all for this idea and am already experimenting with it in my book, "Jazz Cocktails and Soapbox Songs". Pick up a copy and check it out Scott. From free verse to poems influences by Hip Hop, from spoken word to more formal poems, (some that even rhyme!), there's something for everyone!

Oh, and as for preaching, I don't think Whitman, W C Williams, Kenneth Patchen, Ginsberg or even Emily D. would agree that a poet should not preach. On the contrary, if preachers wrote their sermons in poetic forms they might get more people to church on Sunday. The best a poet can do is follow his or her own artistic vision and that can be done by following or not following rules set by others.

Poets can write about the ways we have helped bring more peace and harmony into the world by understanding and resolving conflicts in our own lives. We learn most effectively by example, and others learn peace by observing the virtuous lives we practice daily and reading about our knowledge of justice and peace. The schools must also give more credit to students who empathize with the suffering of others and reward educators for having ideas that foster tolerance and understanding between people. Curriculae should include more authors known for their peaceful visions and missions. We must examine our own lives first, and bring about changes for a better world - one life at a time - or continue pointing fingers of blame at each other and at the politicians we elect.

Bruce Lader, Founding Director
Bridges Tutoring, Inc.
BridgesTutoring.org

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Re: Response to Rayn Roberts

Rayn Roberts

Dear Friends,

I thought I would be able to get past the death of Ronald Reagan without having to say anything, but being American, I find myself unable to do so. So here it is, the views from this American poet.

I am not without sympathy for the Reagan family. Some years ago, I watched my mother's father move slowly from being a strong, able and clear minded man to something resembling a small child led by the hand by my grandmother before he died of Alzheimer's. I understand such sadness in a family.

I am not unaware of Ronald Reagan's great ability to communicate with a unique optimistic humor and wit and how who he was as a man helped restore a feeling of vitality in our people. But I want to remember him for all he did, not just the good & the noble.

Will we see his accomplishments balanced by his defeats and his scandals? Will we remember the Iran-Contra Scandal when they think of the release of American hostages in Lebanon?

When we recall President Reagan in Berlin and remember his famous words, "Tear down this wall..." will they see the Invisible but Real Wall that stands between homosexual Americans and the civil rights that they are denied every day of the year?

Will they remember that Reaganomics promised us "a trickle down" effect that would make the working people and middle class people better off and give them better lives when what really happened was the rich got richer and the middle class got poorer because "trickle down" never worked.

What happened could more accuracy be called "sucking up" because the wealthy sucked up as much money as they could with Reaganomics.

Reaganomics failed the greatest number of Americans and still they walk by with tears and grief because "the president died". Because they are, owing to patriotic love and fondness, blinded to what the Republicans have done to the United States.

Reagan appointed more Federal Judges than any other President since F.D.R to carried out his conservative agenda and they carry it out with a vengeance. The Supreme Court we now have ushered in President Bush, who in essence stole the election and control away from the Democrats who were the choice of the people! My God, and people wonder why poets cry "Wake up!".

I could go on, but I have better things to do, and I for one, will be glad when Reagan is layed to rest for good; however, that so many people now remember with fondness and respect a president who only 57% of Americans approved of when in office is testament to the sentimentality of the people who, in the face of Death, lose their not only their memories, but also their sense of reason and history.... but then when have "the people" ever been all that reasonable and "when will we... ever learn".... from history?

Rayn Roberts
American Poet

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Dear Friends,

The violence & war in the Middle East created by many people involved in struggles here & there: Israelis, Palestinians, Americans, Iraqis and others is bewildering beyond belief.

There was a time when beatings, torture, rape, murder, beheading of prisoners or of innocents were common and even public events. Things of this sort have happened in the 20th century too, but were much more commonplace 500 years ago.

I am shocked by the recent horrors that have come into plain view and continue. I wish I knew some way to change & stop it all, but aside from changing my own mind, doing my small part in my own life, I don't have a clue.

I have thought humankind was making some progress toward becoming kinder, more understanding & compassionate, but lately, doubts about that run deep.

Friends, fellow lovers of peace & justice, however large or small, we all have a part in creating the world as it is... what is your response, your advice? How are you getting through this? Voting the lunatics out of Washington is one thing, but what can we do for peace at this terrible time?

Sincerely,
Rayn Roberts

(Rayn is currently in South Korea. If you would like to respond to Rayn here feel free, if you would like to send your response on to Rayn I would be happy to forward it for you. John)

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Scott Whitaker—Virginia

Poets have an obligation to the craft, first and foremost. That's not to say that politics doesn't have a place in poetry. It does, but not at the expense of the composition. For what would it be then if the poem placed politics before craft?

Consider the Latin American poet Jack Agueros. An excellent poet who writes in sonnet form. His subject matter is the disenfranchised Latino struggling in America. The very form of the poem uplifts the subject matter. Sonnets, many think, are reserved for lofty subjects like love, and the way light filters through cathedral windows, etc. Not for the diseased, the crooked, the addicted.

Consider W. B. Yeats. He didn't hesitate to give politics a spin in his lyrical brain. Again, he uplifted the subject matter.

Not that political poetry couldn't be written in free-verse. Many great free-verse poets have successfully tackled socio-political themes & subjects. But not at the expense of the word. The line. The line break. The combination of fricatives and plosives that make the tongue sing.

But formal verse is political? It implies a certain pedigree. A certain academic shine to the nose. Many formalists I know don't consider themselves snobby, rather they consider themselves the new avant-garde, fighting the masses of arty free-verse that dominates much of the poetic underground.

And if formal verse doesn't imply snobbishness, or pedigree, it does imply an obligation to tradition. The white-upper class tradition. Perhaps we should be inventing new forms of poetry to speak our political mind. One that combines elements of traditional academic verse with the avant-garde's own snobby and rigid codes.

Unfortunately much of what you read today isn't finely crafted, or if it is, lacks no surprise. Hip-hop is still fresh, but it's shelf-life is coming to an end, as well as spoken word poetry. Not that either form will go the way of the dinosaur, but rather both forms will be swallowed up by the cannon. It will become institutionalized. Its teeth will be removed.

There are new ways to write poetry. We have to keep digging. And in its own way, that is political. It stands up to convention. It stands up against George Bush, and Dick Cheney, and even John Kerry, and says there's another avenue of discussion, and I'm going to find it.

As long as the poet doesn't forget the craft, then anything goes. If the poet begins to preach, then perhaps he should call it an essay, or a sermon, and leave the verse to someone else.

Initial Comm piece

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Poetry, Poets, the Poem and the Political Process Today

by John Peterson, Poetic Matrix Publisher

If the political process is to be imbibed with the stuff of poetry it seems we as poets and lovers of poetry have a difficult time. Poets have the reputation as being soft, lovers not fighters. Unwilling and unable to enter the vicious world of politics.

Eugene McCarthy, peace candidate for President in 1968 openly wrote poetry. Jimmy Carter once out of office again openly wrote and published poetry. (Here is not the place for a critique of this poetry.) McCarthy was cast aside in the 1968 run up to the election though he is credited, by many, with opening the Democratic Party to the peace movement. Hubert Humphrey, the eventual Democratic Party nominee once Bobby Kennedy was assassinated, easily pushed McCarthy aside, and of course went on to lose to Richard Nixon. Carter blazed his way from an unknown to the presidency during one of those times in American history where an opening exists for something new and essential to find its way into the political process. Yet the opening was lost to Ronald Reagan 4 years later.

Eugene McCarthy showed great courage in 1968 running against one of the most powerful presidents in our history and forcing Lyndon Johnson to refuse to run for a second term. By McCarthy stepping forward and finding the voice of so many disaffected in this country he may have blunted a more revolutionary solution. This could be seen as a good or not so good thing depending on how radical your political persuasion was at the time. Certainly courage is not one of the characteristics lacking in one with a poetic voice.

Jimmy Carter has been seen universally as an unsuccessful President and yet a very successful ex-President going on to win the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work around the world. He certainly opened the presidency to the empathy and compassion that are traits of those with poetic sensibilities. Still, he is seen by some to have been lacking in the kind of character traits that would allow him to navigate the hostile world of politics in this country.

Mostly poetry is left to galvanize the political process in the hinterlands, out where the people live and die. The link between poets and politics goes back almost to the beginning of time and certainly looms large in the period of the Vietnam War. Poets like Alan Ginsburg and Robert Bly are seminal voices in that period and much adieu is given them for their part in energizing a culture to end that madness.

Mao Zedong was also a poet and quite a good one it seems, as was Ho Chi Minh. Both of course serious revolutionary leaders.

So it is not that poets and poetry do not have a place in the political life of a people. And it cannot be said that poets don't know how to engage the political process whether from the presidency, the streets or from revolutionary necessity. So what is it that keeps the poetic sensibility mostly out of the current political arena? The easy to blame scapegoat is the quickie sound bite, speedy image of pop culture, propaganda manipulated, fear induced culture of easy sounding solutions and then nothing really changes mentality. Here we visit the same old problems over and over and we blame the lack of real substantive change on the all embracing "terrorist" who now keeps us forever in their grasp and forever out of the kind of humane society we all desire. (Oh where oh were has the red scare gone!) Rather it seems poetry forces the discussion to go to a level that so often is resisted in this culture.

Here is the most insane example of the kind of problem we get into when poetry is taken out of the political conversation and yes I said taken out. The new poetry of Donald H. Rumsfeld. From the Slate website: "And so Slate has compiled a collection of Rumsfeld's poems, bringing them to a wider public for the first time. The poems that follow are the exact words of the defense secretary, as taken from the official transcripts on the Defense Department Web site."

Wrapped in this madness is a truth that we need to discern and maybe more quickly that we think. It is said that Osama Bin Laden is an aficionado of poetry of a sort as well and that too is scary.

Poetry as we know so dearly demands some depth and it demands that the reader, listener likewise engage deeply. But how do we engage the populace in the deep discussion that is the purview of poetry. Steve Kowit became a voice for Stand-up Poetry, a unique blend of the role of stand-up comic and the stage poet. Poetry and Jazz, first by Langston Hughes and then Kerouac and Ginsburg brought the word together with jazz to energize the listener. The song lyrics of Dylan, Paul Simon, Sting, push the poetic melody out on rhythm and harmony. Slams, rap, spoken word, the Internet all continue conveying the poetic line. Books still give us the tangible, in the hand feel, and the chance to sit and deepen the experience. But mostly it seems it takes daring. Daring to find any means necessary to get the poetic voice out there in the face of the populace. We better hurry, the new "poetic" voice of D.H. is following closely on that of another past master of the genre Ollie North.

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