Poetry

Sarajevo
by Earl Bergland, May 28th, 1993

Blasphemous request for tales of rape, men!
Vine stench tribunes heed girls to know jackals?
Mirror guilt cowards fear vile beast within
Prod mere girls to account for generals.
‘Lone ‘lone twice raped: my body, life to live.
Civil state, primitive savage sex horde!
Million valiant dead men cheated of motive.
My father husband are stealth stalking swords.
War is for men; it is their religion.
Generals preaching moral leprosy.
Hyenas panting on me are deacons.
Yon knights! Laser lances paint my dream rosey.

Valiant soldiers defend what is civil!
be loyal to knights who died ‘gainst evil.

notes:
First stanza (first four lines) is the court getting statements from young women about the soldiers torturing and raping them. ‘Mirror guilt cowards’ = the tribunes who would probably have done the same thing the soldiers did if given the chance. Second stanza says that past soldiers who died for a better world died in vain. Relatives shall seek revenge for decades to come for what hurt the family. Third stanza states as this poem goes thru her mind, soldiers are raping her. She calls to the living soldiers to right the wrong and stand by the dead soldiers reasons for giving their lives in previous wars.

Return to the main Poetry page »

Writing Poetry

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.