About one hundred years ago, give or take a few decades, two famous poems were written that would effect people’s lives for the next full century. They were not written by the elite, nor did they ever recieve significant attention from literary critics, but their impact has been extensive none the lest.
I am talking of the American folk poems “Casey At The Bat” and “The Cremation of Sam McGee.” These two tales created nearly-mythical characters who have since filled an important niche in modern culture. Despite the decline of poetry in the twenthieth century, these two works have always remained extremely popular.
Some would say that these poems have nothing to do with anything remotely relevant to the human condition, and therefore do not merit our undying attention. But I beg to disagree. Nestled in-between the jokes and cliches are little clues about normal human beings and their struggle through life. Whether it’s the statement that “a promise made is a debt unpaid,” or the great example of superstar ego that we see in the character “Casey,” there are nuggets of truth throughout both works. And all these nuggets hit home in an entertaining and edifying manner. If they didn’t we wouldn’t read them.
So what am I suggesting? I’m suggesting that we need more fun poetry! Poetry skillfully and cleverly written, that is neither too sharp or too obscure. We need poetry that tells a story. We need poetry that createst a legend.
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