DDCPoetry

Original Poem Reprinted Online Here: "Song" by Randall Mann More Information about the Poet: Randall Mann This poem comes off as a song by the usage of iambics and an off rhyme scheme -- not precise, but still there, but there's one word that throws me off of the song tempo, and I don't know if it is purposeful or not. The first quatrain alludes to a certain kind of violence with, "I found my muster station, ir. / My skin is patent leather."  The "muster" although means nothing at this point of the poem has stronger implications further into the poem.  The skin being patent leather brings an edge to external toughness., "The tourists are recidivists / This calm is earthquake weather"  Yes, the mention of recidivists seems a bit off, but fits the tempo, also earthquake weather brings the language back to this foreboding hint. "I've used up all the mulligans. / I'd kill to share a vice." Fun, fun, fun, gambling and "v...

Bill Knott would probably be mad at me for writing a blog about him.  I also believe that he would revel in the fact that someone is writing about him and leave in the comments section something like this, "You are a dumbass nobody writing about another dumbass nobody who is an exile in the po-biz.  Write when you are somebody." Being somebody will probably never happen, so please excuse me for the following piece. As an undergraduate I asked my mentor, Alan Soldofsky, who I write like.  I studied haiku and the short form for years and I felt at that time I pushed as far as I could.  Bill Knott is who he said, and, from his memory, Alan quoted these two poems to me: Goodbye If you are still alive when you read this, close your eyes.  I am under their lids, growing black. Death Going to sleep, I cross my hands on my chest They will place my hands like this. It will look as though I am flying into myself. These poems resonate because the images are so succinct, bu...