“The lunatic, the lover and the poet”

Modern poetry modern verse contemporary poetry contemporary verse modern poem contemporary poem

The iambs run berserk in Shakespeare when

He deals with madmen, lovers, poets crammed

Together in one line.  He knows that men,

Poor slobs, can’t cope with moons and rhythms slammed

Together.  Maybe it’s because the king,

Though, cannot be expected to contain

All elements and so he has to fling

Pentameters away since they are vain

In their attempts to hold tall meanings in

A single verse.  The hugeness of these guys

Throws scansion out and this results in sin.

The perfect scansion suffers and it dies.

  The poet should have left out lunatic

    And lover, both.  The poets own the kick.

© Phillip Whidden