Deconstructing a Pillar of Salt Grain by Grain by Kevin Smith
November 27, 2006
Is self-mockery as senseless as self-indulgence?
Self-expression is the soul of all inspired works,
But which is worse?
The rhetorical verse, revised and rehearsed
Or the God-honest song in contemporary tongue?Petty self-pity does not merit the paper that permits it to speak,
Nor the pen which dictates the elaborate painting of problems unique
To the poet.We must ask ourselves to critique,
To compete with the cryptic contortions and cold self-absorbent technique.
I invite you to point out the irony that laces these lines.
You should smile, because you can see I have wasted my time.
The point of this poem?
To provoke?
To disown?
Maybe both.
Maybe none.
The God-honest confession in contemporary tongue.
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1.
Mary Kavanagh | December 4, 2006 at 9:20 am
I love the rhythm and the language in this. It’s powerful and captures the frustration of writing really well. Great vocabulary as always.
2.
Siobhán Casey | January 17, 2007 at 3:00 pm
Good stuff. The rhyming patterns keep my attention and the theme of the poem is one that I sometimes wonder about myself.
My favourite lines:
Petty self-pity
does not merit the paper that permits it to speak,
Nor the pen which dictates the elaborate painting of problems unique
To the poet.
The “eek” is the squeak of the pen, maybe?