To try too, too hard
to be avant-garde is to write 
in cipher. Gnawing nuances
like dry bones for hungry
intellects. And that last 
dash, pause, hesitation -
profundity in horizontals

Let us bury the dead poets
that deadened words 
Pounding the Beat
orchestral as a triangle 
Sitwell and Stein
senseless sentences
proclaimed as if a holy one
had had a hand in heaven

or conjured weird word pasta
to suck on and let slither
like soft worms down 
gullible guts. Let there be
a slow feast though
with minstrel play on meanings
tinkering tunes for moods 
as a Thomas, and a Hughes
or Eliot's holy communion
in an uber rational age

But when the heavy rainy days
are upon us, how heartening
to shelter in simplicity. 
To open page upon page of poets
speaking with the clarity of Clare
too numerous to name, even today.

28 thoughts on “To simplicity”

1. That last stanza is amazing Laura. It is a gift to open upon pages of poetry and get lost in them.

   1. and a salve too Grace when the world is too much with us – thank you for OLN and the chance to whet my poetry pen after several absences

2. Oh, I so agree, Laura! And your words flow. I hope you are well.

   1. on a roll with opinion here Merril 😉 am well but without much mojo

      1. 💙

3. Hahahaha!…..Really, really enjoyed this, love the bite, and the fact it is spoken with authority…

   1. thank you, Ain, for appreciating authority over opinionated 😉

4. We all have our poetic peeves (and faults as I know only too well). But simple beauty is always a breath of fresh air. (K)

   1. that could have been the title – a pet peevish poem

5. A big amen to your wonderful poem. Leave the wordy poets behind and focus words as slick and smooth as pasta being slurped up… and just as tasty! Well done!

   1. its not wordiness as much as non-sense that I mind

      1. Yes, and words that have not common usage!

6. That “weird word pasta” hits the nail on the head. Of course like pasta, it’s sometimes a matter of taste, but for me clarity with hint of mystery is the goal. Really enjoyed this Laura! JIM

   1. could not agree more with your summation – thank you!

7. Love the third stanza. You have a way with words.

   1. many thanks Ali – I do love words!

8. Density of verbal meanings is crack for the poet but too often too “conjured weird word pasta” — inedible and indelibly lost. Amen.

   1. Amen indeed – nice mix of meanings at the end there too

9. Beautiful! Sometimes, the simpler, the better, and perhaps that applies to poetry too! 🙂

   1. I agree!

10. brilliantly said great words.

    1. thank you – (just rescued this from the erroneous spam catcher)

       1. 👍

11. “profoundity in horizontals”…how I love this! I really enjoyed all those references and couldn’t agree more… simplicity is heartening. What a lovely write, Laura.

    1. what a lovely comment – thank you!

       1. My pleasure.

          1. and am sorry to have missed your dVerse prompt yesterday – look forward to more from you

             1. No worries, Laura.

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