Daily Sip - One day late for Valentine's Day...

Therefore the concept of uselessness can be applied to Poetry too if we consider that it has no specific purpose. Literature is despised all over the world. Some areas have a lot of investments whereas Literature is still a virgin field. It is a pity because what change people are books.

Karla..wonderful..

"what change people are books." TRUE

"Yaki what classes do you have"

"Oh I have the "humanitarian" package you know,
dutch,english,spanish,math,history and ART"

"Oh... so... what are you planning to do with that?"

-_________-

A million things you won't....

its the same here in Aruba sybs,
its such a pity people don't see beyond the boarders of the island.. the world is a whole bowl of opportunities, ...look at Alysia Harris she's all over the place with her gorgeous poetry and she is getting paid.

hhhhhhhm!

I thinkI used the word humour? followed by a humourous poem...perhaps it seemed humourless...perhaps..

For years I fussed at my older daughter, Lauren, for the time she spent at the movies.

She's in her senior year of Cinematography!

She was just preparing for her career.

EDIT:

Hellon, you mean that wasn't serious? I thought it just put into words what all mean, err, men, think.

Wonderful poem Hellon. Brazilian writers from XIX century did the same thing and it is simply brilliant when a writer can be ironical without his poetry being confessional.

"She was just preparing for her career."

HAHAHAHHA LARRY THAT WAS GOLD.

Loved da poem ........think I have bit of scottish blood ........somewhere. Hah! Hah ! Humorous yet there is substance . Women are stereotyped into a barbie doll image ..........and this poem defies that ----the man does not care about her rolls/flab whatever ,he has something to hold onto !

He loves her !

Hellon, I cracked up. I feel like it would be hard to write Scottish "phoenetically" like that!

"what change people are books." Seconded!

Hellon, I loved the poem. It goes back to what my granny always told me.....

" A man would rather lay in a feather bed than on a bed of a fence rails"

Gotta keep a little stuffing

Don't know where this came from..but just saw it on facebook..found it beautiful..

--------------

and even if it was just for that tiny little moment when our
breaths crossed each others path ,
even if it came out of love , lust - hate or love ,
even if it felt like a blessing , a sin or a curse ,
even it it came out of nothing , even if it was some divine type of plan ,
even if , it shouldn't have happened, even if it did ,
parts of you were mine & parts of me were yours
in split seconds of whatever you call time and in a place just like space -
i'd give my life - my whole entire life
just to stay with you in that moment forever & ever and
oh yes
I'd surrender.....
& even if Now it's just another bitter sweet
part of my history then so mote it be
& I hope one day we soon realize & see why we all here.....
Still dreaming dreams - Still believing our beliefs
trying to achieve what we claim to think has never been achieved
what if we already did it but still cant see?
blinded by how big & strong our light can reach.....
i don't know - am talking crazy - that's just me
accept it - or leave me be ...
remember , I love you tho

The problem with poetry is that it cannot make a change. It's for entertainment, that's the way I view it. But can it do our countries any good? I guess not.

A change can be done with blood, sweat and tears. It can never be done with bloody metaphors, sweating pens and tearing emotions. You need to literally burn yourself with kerosene to change the world.

Look at 'Abu Azeezi' .. the Tunisian fruits seller. He didn't write poems. He burned himself instead, and changed the Tunisian history, then all the Arabian history with the current revolutions.

Look at those protesters in Wall Street. Did they write poems to voice their opinions? No. They descended the streets. They fought against freedom repression.

We've been writing poetry for eras. Which poet solved the crises of poverty, hunger, terrorism, brains drain, AIDS, domestic violence...? Which poet invented a life-changing method?

Poetry is not materialistic, that's why it's useless in our world.

It's the place we run to from the real world - A virtual shelter for a vulnerable soul.

I have written 'Jasmines' for the Syrian revolution. What has changed? Syrian cities are being bombed everyday, and people are dying in hundreds.

I have written 'Body' for women's views on beauty.

'Elephants' for the cold relationship between husbands and wives after marriage.

'Water for Elephants' for women who cannot conceive.

'X Days are Over' for gonosomal abnormalities.

'If It Rains Money' for wealth which became the only way to live happily.

'Tattoos' for domestic children abuse.

'Tails' for people who choose not to be themselves for the sake of kissing asses.

... and tons of social problematic poems.

What have I really done? I didn't change anything. Gibran didn't. Edgar Allen Poe also. Woodsworth, too. Shakespeare...
They just express themselves beautifully. They didn't put words into actions.

Poetry doesn't solve problems. It blemishes them with metaphorical make-up.

I don't want to sound desperate, but that's how things go. I hope I discover soon that I'm wrong.. because poetry and writing are my carpe diem. They have taken me away. I always run to them.

"What have I really done?"

...I'm sure you've touched some hearts kid,

I can't see why you wouldn't consider that as useful.

To be honest in my opinion you may not know what each poet has done for another.

Maya Angelou created a strength within me to come out of a shell that I was hiding in with her poetry. Who knows the direction I would have taken otherwise.

Edit: I was in an abusive relationship and did not have much self esteem, and never had the courage to stand up for what was right. After reading Angelous poem "Phenomenal Woman" I gained strength, not immediately but over time and I kept going back to that poem to draw strength from it that I was someone. I eventually wrote my own version of it.

Same with other poets, I have seen some very powerful poetry on this site as well as from famous poets that has moved me in my life. Not trying to create any amount of drama but who are you to say that it hasn't done anything for anyone? You may be speaking for yourself, but do not think for one moment that any poetry could not have been viewed and changed the life of someone out there in this world. Small movements create bigger movements and with that my dear relates to all of us.

You say it can't do our countries any good but how can in not when little by little we are expressing oppression or redemption in an artistic way.

Hmm.. Learning and understanding takes time, so staying calm helps.

You know guys,
Don't take this on LP,
Don't you feel how he is feeling?
He has written poems but he hasn't seen any change.
So ones opinion are build a little by little on what we experience.

So Dix thanks for sharing your experience and for showing us or rather LP of how poetry is not useless to you.

I also think that everything takes time, but if one writes a poem and someone reads it then that reader will understand something from it. And he might share it with someone else... And everyone will put a little grain and so there will slowly be a change.. Slowlyyyyy...

That's beautiful Everlasting.Changes are slowly.Poetry is a divine art. In Ancient Greece, most of the poets were blind. Blindness makes us see with the heart's eyes. So if we as poets- can't see with our hearts, Poetry loses its meaning. We- whether we believe or not - are the ones who make people dream and believe. We are the ones who still touch people's hearts and make they think. Poetry is like air to me. It is my solace. I know I can't change many minds but at least I will make them think.

People are rallied and driven into action all the time by wonderful speakers, deep philosophers, radical poets, social reform writers, etc.

No it's not your poem that grows legs and protests on Wall Street. But it might be your poem that gives a reader the inspiration and courage to stand on his or her feet and protest.

Jane

Thanks Jane that is exactly what I was trying to say. Though mine is a bit long winded lol.

People are rallied and driven into action all the time by wonderful speakers, deep philosophers, radical poets, social reform writers, etc.

^ Jane, would you honor me with real life examples?

I agree. Poems have the power to change individuals (and cultural groups). Then it's the people who can make things happen. For example, one poem in particular helped shape the idea of America as melting pot, a place where anyone could be accepted and work towards their dreams. Whether or not that's actually true, it did give people that idea. You can't ignore the power of ideas, and the power of poems to help shape those myths and cultural concepts.

The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Emma Lazarus, 1883

And Shakespeare may not have overturned a government, but how many teenagers compare their romantic relationships to Romeo and Juliet? How can we say how much that's altered their feelings for what's expected and acceptable in love? How many people felt akin to Brutus, casting down Caesar for better or for worse? You probably can't put a number on it, but it's there, and that's just two examples.

Did the Song of Solomon change what people expect out of marriage, or a relationship with God? Weren't people's lives and even governments centered around the Daoist, poetic aphorisms of Lao Tzu?

No, poetry alone doesn't pass law, but it forms people.

^No, poetry alone doesn't pass law, but it forms people.

--- only if people want to pay attention to it; otherwise, it won't have any effect.

Sib... today, we read this in class!!!
----
The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
----
the general theme was immigration, as I recall.

I think it can touch us, yes, very true..... but that's it.

...

but how many teenagers compare their romantic relationships to Romeo and Juliet? How can we say how much that's altered their feelings for what's expected and acceptable in love?

^ is it true? :O
Are there teenagers that believe in such a chrysalis of Shakespearean poetry? It's not me...

No, poetry alone doesn't pass law, but it forms people.

^ True, but I think it only sets molds. And people can form. But it's still a weak factor.

How can anyone think of civil rights in the U.S. and not think, "I have a dream..."
MLK. His speeches were not scientific documents, they were personal. Poetic. Moving. They lit a burning passion in the hearts of listeners.

Woman's suffrage was won largely in part through journalism, slogans, progressive art (which helped raise awareness for feminism and female sexuality).

Speakers who rally protesters into action are poets. They are spoken word poets.

Salvador Dali's art was brought to the United States to encourage Americans to embrace European individualism and freedom of expression.

... I'm curious, why do you think paintings, comics, poems, and books were and are banned in many countries? It's not because of uselessness, I'll tell you that much. It's because those in power know what art is capable of doing.

"^ is it true? :O
Are there teenagers that believe in such a chrysalis of Shakespearean poetry? It's not me... "

Haha, ok, bad example. I forgot you're not a Shakespeare fan. But I'd say it's true! At least primarily English-speaking places.

That's really funny that you just read "A New Colossus" in class today. And you're right, it was written when people were pouring into New York from tons of places in the world. Poems like that made people feel like they could be safe in America.

I am going to share my experience:

I usually ask the poet for permission and we read his/her poem and soon after we have a debate.It doesn't have to be a famous poet. I did it with Ron Edward's poems - he belonged to Phoenix Rising-, he wrote a book and I also did the same thing with Cinda's book. Then I gave them the feedback.My students loved their poetry. It is fantastic how students respond to Poetry. I've never worked with kids, only teens and adults.As I said before a good poem reads the reader. If that poem touches you, we have a miracle.

... I'm curious, why do you think paintings, comics, poems, and books were and are banned in many countries? It's not because of uselessness, I'll tell you that much. It's because those in power know what art is capable of doing.

That's true.

We had an incredible literary production during dictatorship here.Many things concerned art were forbidden.Films, books, we didn't have access to them. Even History.We could only learn our own History.

I'm beginning to reconsider my thoughts, Jane.. thanks.
Sib :p

Karla, that's true..

"The problem with poetry is that it cannot make a change. It's for entertainment, that's the way I view it. But can it do our countries any good? I guess not. "

And yet there are statues of poets and songwriters all over Russia. People who weren't afraid to make commentaries on society and at times even died because they shared certain views.

I think what makes artists powerless at times is culture and the values of a culture.