Guy Bennett (USA) 1960

from Self-Evident Poems

Preliminary Poem


This poem is self-contained
and self-sufficient.
It does not require critical commentary
or explanations of any kind
to convey its meaning,
which is self-evident.

It does not exceed a single page,
and is thus appropriate
for publication in magazines
and anthologies.

It can be read in a single sitting,
and will not unduly tax the reader or listener
as it neither necessitates nor benefits from
excessive post-reading reflexion.


Literal Poem


This poem
means exactly what it says
and nothing more.
It was intended
to be taken literally,
thus no figurative language
was used,
and no symbolic meaning
can be infered.
For this reason
I feel confident in asserting
that it is not possible
to not understand
this poem.


Poem Based on a Comparison


This poem
is not unlike a small animal
living, imperceptibly,
on the periphery of the human world,
hiding in bushes,
crawling through tall grass,
or cruising silently
in water so turbid
that no one will ever see it.


Conceptual Poem


Aesthetically speaking,
this is not a conceptual poem.

Linguistically speaking,
it is.



Palindromic Poem


A palindromic poem
reads the same way
from beginning to end
as from end to beginning.


Poem Written to Be Read


This poem
was written to be read,
whether silently or aloud,
to oneself or others,
as frequently or infrequently
as one might like.

In that respect,
it is no different
than any other poem.

In other respects
it is.


Poem with Rhyme


Everyone knows
that poems don’t rhyme
anymore.


Enigmatic Metaphorical Poem


This poem is something else!



Elliptical Poem


This poem
…
.


Poem on the Death of The Author


This poem was written
prior to the death of the author,
obviously.


Socially-Relevant Poem


I had never written one
before this.




Elitist Poem


The paradigmatic shift
implicit in the title of this poem
may well elude the common man.





Populist Poem


I couldn’t think of one.





Anti-Intellectual Poem


This poem is against intellectualism
in all its forms.
It rejects the results
of abstract reasoning and analysis,
which often contradict the simple home-truths
held since birth by the majority.
It is deeply suspicious
of anyone and anything
not immediately and transparently
understandable,
and is acutely wary of explanations,
elucidations, and demonstrations
of any kind.
It prefers home-schooling to education,
faith to knowledge,
opinion to evidence,
entertainment to information,
shooting first to asking questions,
cowboys to indians,
Oprah to opera,
ketchup to kimchi,
and us to them.
In its blithe self-centeredness
and baseless confidence,
it bitterly opposes anything
not as patently self-evident
as this poem.

_______

(c) 2010 by Guy Bennett