Poetry

John Doe ZPG*
by Earl Bergland, 1969

During the delivery my mother anesthetized
The hand that swatted me sterilized
Milk in a plastic bottle homogenized

Nursery and clothing sanitized
The baby food mulcherized
Parents properly theraputized

Rhetorical classrooms censorized
Texts of meaning plagiarized
Captivated minds mechanized

My communion insensitized
Neighborly concern vaporized
Government salvation bureaucratized

Picnics, hikes and fireworks safetized
God and I lost in religion commercialized
Heartless grief the funeral professionalized

Married one just like me an ized girl
Kids there won't be we're sterile

notes:
* zero population growth

Why Poetry? Poems are written by people who are too lazy to write a book. Most people who write poetry would do more good for the world by growing flowers or painting old barns. But we need to have patience because many young poets just need a few years of practicing as do musicians.
What are the three basic requirements for a quality poem?
A. The topic must be very important.
B. The poet must express thoughts with clarity.
C. The poem must create a dramatic impact (create an emotional feeling) in reader.
Is poetry a waste of time? That is a tough question. We can wonder the same thing about fishing or watching a football game. A poem provides the poet with a means of expressing ideas and feelings by a very personal means. Playing basket ball or cooking is also a means of personal expression.
What kind of an attitude should we have about reading poetry? Imagine sitting in a park on a spring day listening to your friend discuss ideas with you. Poets love waterfalls and country fried chicken.