Boo! Hiss!--Inaugural Poem

[mtmynd]

LR : "Where's the sarcasm..."

For starters -

"Obama surprised me
with his usual suave when it comes to making decisions
he really fucked up in picking Elizabeth Alexander to do his inaugural poem"

then -

"It reminded me of poems I have seen written by high school girls."

You're implying that isn't cool to be a woman poet and sound girlish in any way...

and then, my sarcastic friend, you end -

"Obama should have gotten emenem to do the poem"

... as if Obama had some spare time to proof read the chosen Inaugural Poet.

Sarcastic? Methinks so... indeed. No other way to read it.

[Lightning Rod]

maybe our definition of sarcasm is different cecil
this is the one Webster likes:

a mode of satirical wit depending for its effect on bitter, caustic, and often ironic language that is usually directed against an individual

As you know, I am no stranger to sarcasm, but I don't detect sarcasm in any of the statements that I made here. I meant every word. There was no irony here and it wasn't bitter or caustic or directed against any individual. It was a literary critique.

I'm sure that picking a poet was far down the list of Obama's priorities going into the inaugural. It probably ranked somewhere below 'work on your box step with Michelle. We have ten balls to attend'.

P.S. I liked your piece of prose much better than Alexander's piece of prose.

P.P.S. I love poetry written by high school girls, if it's written about me.
(now that's sarcasm....haha)

[jimboloco]

black won't have to give back
brown can stick around
yellow can be mellow
and white will embrace what is right

never mind what joe scarboro demurrs
rev lowrey's poetic verse got it down real nice

i dug alexander's scribbling and her presentation also
a day in the life of joe blow and sister corrine
poetry to my ears
where life is good
and the spirit awakens in th depths of now
each one of our ancestors on our tongues
we must heal our ancestors in our minds longing for justice
a farmer considers the changing sky
good and plenty in the heartland praries
We encounter each other in words, words spiny or smooth, whispered or declaimed; words to consider, reconsider.
no direct words of issues, the underlying humanist hum

a deep unfolding of scenes, tangible, haiku sharp into a drum beat
Ja!

But today, voices of old spirit sound
Speak to us in words profound,
Across the years, across the centuries,
Across the oceans, and across the seas.
They say, draw near to one another,
Save your race.
You have been paid for in a distant place,
The old ones remind us that slavery's chains
Have paid for our freedom again and again.

The night has been long,
The pit has been deep,
The night has been dark,
And the walls have been steep.

The hells we have lived through and live through still,
Have sharpened our senses and toughened our will.
The night has been long.
This morning I look through your anguish
Right down to your soul.
I know that with each other we can make ourselves whole.
I look through the posture and past your disguise,
And see your love for family in your big brown eyes.

I say, clap hands and let's come together in this meeting ground,
I say, clap hands and let's deal with each other with love,
I say, clap hands and let us get from the low road of indifference,
Clap hands, let us come together and reveal our hearts,
Let us come together and revise our spirits,
Let us come together and cleanse our souls,
Clap hands, let's leave the preening
And stop impostering our own history.
Clap hands, call the spirits back from the ledge,
Clap hands, let us invite joy into our conversation,
Courtesy into our bedrooms,
Gentleness into our kitchen,
Care into our nursery.

The ancestors remind us, despite the history of pain
We are a going-on people who will rise again.

And still we rise.

so maybe the reference to slavery and oppression
and racism and despair and hopelessness
hurt a little
and it should
south african style
it don't hurt to smile
they ain't nada lame bout that poem
a painter's poem

inaugeral poem
indirect and poignant
a call toward hope

[mtmynd]

LR : "I don't detect sarcasm in any of the statements that I made here."

Being the author of those words, that is not surprising.

"I meant every word."

Of course you did.

"There was no irony here and it wasn't bitter or caustic or directed against any individual."

It sounds like the entire post was directed at Ms Alexander and her poem with some added bitterness tossed in for good measure towards Obama.

"It was a literary critique."

More like a literary bitch, imho.

[Lightning Rod]

ooooh, I love it when you call me a bitch

[Dave The Dov]

I thought Maya Angelou's poem for Clinton's was called,"Pulse Of The Morning"????

[mtmynd]

LR : "ooooh, I love it when you call me a bitch"

smile when you say that, cutey!

[jimboloco]

me pienso que el rod es lookin fer a scrabble
to fill the void
mercy
el rod in bush's back yard
soitenly not in doublya's front yard, eh?
all in jest for sure
like the ravens an th steelers, eh?

in the st pete times' inaugeral special,
aforesaid "poem" was printed
with the comment ...
"poet Elizabeth Alexander echoed the new leader's tribute to daily labor and his reminder of the sacrifices that made his election possible. Alexander is a professor of African-American studies at Yale University."

eminem gon do th inaugeral poem at chris rock's presidential happenin for sure an maybe charles barkley's govenmor presentation as well
down in montgomery alabama, an janet jackson too, back from bahrein with her bro in tow

• 

forgetaboutit

[Lightning Rod]

cec,

jimbo, whew
you've set my mind at ease
at least Alexander teaches African Studies instead of poetry at Yale

it probable would have worked better if she had a wardrobe malfunction

[mtmynd]

Elizabeth Alexander has her very own website -

"Obama Inaugural Poet"

Be sure to tell her I sent you.

[jimboloco]

well you do run a weekly satire post
do poetry on th slide
or is it t'other way round?
let the poet without sin cast the first stone
an thankz by th bye fer bringin up th jaded lady
after all