Happy National Poetry Month

Among its many fine attributes, April is National Poetry Month.  If you haven't gone to any poetry festivals yet, not to worry, there is is still time.

Around 2005, there was a news story out here in California that overlapped with that gala holiday, and it prompted my great interest so much so that a few years later I eventually got around to writing about it for the Huffington Post, on how I had dived in to do my part.

I thought this would be a most-appropriate time to repost that article.

(There's an addendum of sorts to this all.  My friend Rich Capparela was the long-time host of the morning show on the classical music radio station in Los Angeles, KUSC-FM.  He's still on the air there, though wise enough to no longer have to get up before the sun starts to break. Anyway, at the time, he saw my piece, no doubt thought that it fit the fine arts culture of the station, and read the first verse on the air.  I will note that there were many other verses -- we poets highly prize the epic form -- but being a music show, I understood that some things must give way, even in the exalted name of poetry)

My Application to be Poet Laureate

April 10, 2008

April, as you no doubt are well-aware (and have likely been waiting all year for), is National Poetry Month.  First, the start of the baseball season, and now this!

I’m reminded that I submitted my application when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the California Arts Council announced they had begun accepting nominations for the position of state poet laureate and ambassador for the literary arts.

I feel pretty confident at getting the job because a spokesman for the governor, Terri Carbaugh suggested that candidates who choose to turn down the already-small stipend would be given added consideration in the decision.

"As you know, this is a very tight fiscal year," Ms. Carbaugh said. "Quite possibly, a poet laureate may step up to the plate and volunteer their time. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

It would!  It would be so wonderful (or rather, ‘o wondrous,’ as we aspiring poet laureates prefer to say.)  And given that I’m willing to starve for my art and bring beauty to the state and ultimately the world, I figure that my plate will be a bounty.  Besides, being called “Mr. Ambassador” never hurts, especially with the ladies.

Though it’s been a few years and I haven’t heard yet, I expect that’s because they’re busy with other matters.  After all, a job that you don’t want to pay anything for has got to be fairly low down on the priority ladder.  So, I haven’t lost hope and am expecting a response any day.

But I’m confident of getting the non-paying position.  After all, not only did I say on my application that I’d do the job for free, the main requirement, but I included the following poem without charge to seal the deal.

Here’s hoping!  Metaphors be with me.

I'm applying to be poet laureate

Though I'm not sure what the job's faureate.

My rhymes aren't deep

But they're fast and they're cheap!

Which is why I've not been shown the daureate.

I so hope I become poet laureate.

I've got poems you shouldn't ignaureate.

Sure, the job pays no stipend,

But I swear I won’t gripe and

I’ll only give thanks I’m not paureate.

O if I become poet laureate

The surprises that you have instaureate.

I'll fill poems by the barrel

To be read at one’s peril.

And I promise I won't be a haureate.

I'd be a real good poet laureate.

This writing stuff isn't a chaureate.

I’ll do sonnet or haiku

Or whatever you like, you

Just tell me if you need some maureate.

So, please let me be poet laureate!!

There are worlds o’ rhymes left to explaureate.

And for better or worse

What you get with free verse

Is something you may not adaureate.