<<
Despite what Jeff would call the profusion of "empirical markers", the poem
seems to have unleashed in David a scatty rant which includes tulips,
grandkids and an "albeit reduced domestic interior", and makes him long for
the good old days of autocracy and dream of an escape into Chinese. You
can't get much more connotative than that.
Jamie
>>
I rather liked it (especially the literal/metaphorical split in the Hunting
trophy on the wall), but it is rather an exteme example of dave's tendency
to register-jumping. IMHO, the Dream of the Good Old Days is -- not quite
ironic, since the whole "rant" is couched in the voice of a persona -- but
pretty obviously undercut.
The escape into Chinese is maybe a different matter.
(Now should I read the Armitage poem? Do I really want to? Has anyone said
anything about it on this thread that would make me want to? Jamie likes it
and Jeffrey doesn't. Not enough to be going on, there. I'll stick to
wistfully admiring the Birk's elegant segue.)
Robin
**********************************************
Yes, it's definitely one to hang on the wall to show your grandkids. Hunting
trophies from the colonies don't come easy these days but a touching shot of
an albeit reduced domestic interior is something to preserve for posterity.
Of course, I can also admit I like Dutch detail, please accept a tulip, and
like everyone else I'm implicated in bourgeouisedom, whether I like it or
not, but oh it's so boring. So are most people's jobs, but really ought
poetry be lying down so weakly and accepting its occupation by middle
management? It was better when there were autocrats, bring back Charles the
First, and Edward Lucie-Smith, Thomas Stearns Eliot I loved you.
Hoping I can escape into Chinese (can't wait to read Pu Ling-en)
Yrs
db
On 16 February 2010 18:34, Jamie McKendrick <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
Looks like a good poem to me - and happily survives the tedium of your
paraphrase,
Jamie
----- Original Message ----- From: "Jeffrey Side" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 16, 2010 12:20 PM
Subject: Response to my criticisms of Armitage's poetry
Here is a short response to two articles I wrote mentioning how awful
Simon Armitage's poetry is:
http://andrewjshields.blogspot.com/2010/02/night-shift.html
--
David Bircumshaw
"A window./Big enough to hold screams/
You say are poems" - DMeltzer
Website and A Chide's Alphabet
http://www.staplednapkin.org.uk
The Animal Subsides http://www.arrowheadpress.co.uk/books/animal.html
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/david.bircumshaw
twitter: http://twitter.com/bucketshave
blog: http://groggydays.blogspot.com/
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