Favor

First off, Divewop I think your poem is fine - so don't interpret this a knock on your poem.

I just want to caution everyone that driving this forum off the well-traveled prose roads into the land of poetry is fraught with DANGER! Imagine the possible torrent unleashed by all the frustrated Dylan Thomas, Janis Ian, Rod McKuen, Shelly, wanna be's! Yikes!

Remember the warning from C.S. Lewis, "Disobedience to conscience is voluntary; bad poetry, on the other hand, is usually not made on purpose."

Kavey

One of my very favourite poems is this one, which you can buy cutely illustrated on a greeting card:

We can all fly as high as the dreams we dare to live
Unless we are a chicken

By Edward Monkton.

I swear, the man is a genius. Sometimes I wonder if he is in my head.

Thembi

One of the things I enjoy about this community of Africaphiles is the diverse and interesting views expressed, creativity engendered in photography, writing and movement in our lives.

If poetry is not your "thing" Favor - there is a simple solution... You don't have to read it. Sandy's poem beautifully expresses the feeling and focus of the thred - and maybe there are newer people who are wanting to travel to Africa that might have their undrstanding of the world expanded by our musings and philosophical discussions.

Jude
Poet, Artist, Traveller, Office Manager, Unionist, amatuer photographer well rounded and diverse personality...

divewop

Favor-
I’m so totally busted! You figured it all out.
How did you know I was aspiring to be in the ranks of the aforementioned poets? Damn, I thought I doing so good at keeping it a secret but you outted me. You’re such the Sherlock, aren’t you?

Firstly, if you're not directing this toward me and/or knocking my writing, then exactly what are you doing? What is this about and was it really necessary?

Secondly, I do love your literary description and suggestion that we not leave these "well-traveled" prose roads and venture into the “lands of poetry.”
I couldn’t have said that any better myself. Who’s the poet now?

My little "poem" was not intended to offend anyone nor was it intended to start a discussion of what kind of writing does or doesn’t belong on the forum.

Really, there is no need for you to worry your scholarly little head about my poem and career path. But who cares if I was to go down that road?!

All that being said, I appreciate your concern and interest in my career path and it is duly noted. I will take it into consideration and get back to you!
>-

Hey, you think I'm a candidate for the Pulitzer prize?! ;-)

atravelynn

Elephants are gray
Zebras are striped
Feel free to post
Any poems you've typed.

divewop

LOL, Lynn too damn funny.

There once was an Africaphile named Lynn
Whose poem had a beginning and end.
She didn't mentions giraffes
Just eles and zebras, still we laughed.
Though some might believe that's a sin!


Considering the circumstances, I just HAD to do that! ;-)

Thembi

There once was a lodge in Vic Falls
Where the monkeys all had blue balls
They did make us laugh
while taking a bath
but some would think this just schmalz

matnikstym

I once had a guide named Beavy,
Who worked at a lodge in Caprivi,
As I drank my diet cola,
The animals went to Angola,
And I only saw them on the T.V.

atravelynn

These are great. We'll compile them, add some photos and sell it as a coffee table book!

Favor

Steady on all - I don't care if people want to post poems and I meant nothing personal. The idea of people communicating in verse just struck me funny and made me remember the C.S. Lewis quote.

Funny thing too, given the near misses we're all having using prose, I can't imagine the undies in a bunch if we're faced with trying to figure out if the metaphor someone flung was barbed, blunt, made of marshmellow, or meant to curve back on itself.

Thembi

We could call it.... Por Favor Africa

Dana_M

My undies are not in a bunch
Because I'm happily eating Captain Crunch

So even the por favor Grinch
Can't make me give half an inch...

regarding my opinion on this post.

OK, so it doesn't really rhyme and it is not grammatically correct. It wasn't intended to be. I found Divewop's poem lovely, and I loved reading it after that video.

Favor-If you weren't knocking it, what were you doing? Perhaps you are a frustrated poet?

atravelynn

That's it. Available at Borders and Amazon in time for the holidays.

I hope I was not just accused of flinging a metaphor, something I would never dream of. Elephant dung maybe, but not a metaphor.

Dana_M

Lynn,

The only thing worse than flinging a metaphor is dangling a preposition! Let me know when you're up for that elephant dung fight! You know, kind of like a snowball fight, but smells worse!

Dana

kimburu

I thought Favor's last comment was so beautifully written I made it into a poem

Funny thing too
given the near misses we have
using prose

Imagine the undies in a bunch
faced with trying to figure out
if the metaphor someone flung
was barbed
blunt
made of marshmellow

Or meant to curve (slowly)
back on itself

I added the slowly because I think that line needed an extra two syllables... remember it's all in how you read it!!!

No irony is intended...

Thembi

I KNOW! we need a "Fodometer" so we can run every posting through it to cleanse it of any and all possible offence, I will set the parameters at once.

You gotta love us don't you! Let's take offence, no let's not. Let's tell others how to behave? No, lets attack the person telling others how to behave. Let's get clever with words... Nah! Let's have a joke, nope, let's tell others not to get clever with words.let's just agree to disagree. Bugger that - i don't back down for anybody - it is better to keep the peace, no its not. Yes it is. The opinions I offer are not necessarily my own ha!

The diversity here is , well.... ummm, so diverse.

My favorite poem is The Highwayman. by somebody or other. It is all in aembic pentermetre (sp?) and makes me cry every time - which is pathetic really .

The best line is

"With his pistol butts atwinkle"

Now you cannot beat that for a fine line of poetry, eh?
Jude

Lillipets

Thanks you guys! I almost snorted my morning coffee through my nose! I'm not awake enough to be very clever, but thanks for the great wake up!
Lily

Favor

Dana - What I was doing was exactly what I said in my last post:

"I don't care if people want to post poems and I meant nothing personal. The idea of people communicating in verse just struck me funny and made me remember the C.S. Lewis quote."

Really no more no less. It's SO DIFFICULT in these forums to project the right voice. Plus the fact we don't know each other in real life and don't benefit from all the conversational slack and context that comes with that.

If I had to plead something, I guess it'd be "attempted humor" to some nominal degree. ;-)