One of Jack Spicer's poems

[sydneym]

This ocean, humiliating in its disguises
Tougher than anything.
No one listens to poetry. The ocean
Does not mean to be listened to. A drop
Or crash of water. It means
Nothing.
It
Is bread and butter
Pepper and salt. The death
That young men hope for. Aimlessly
It pounds the shore. White and aimless signals. No
One listens to poetry.

Comments

[ms_timorous666]

i'm quite certain i've read that one before. i should really check out more of his stuff.

[sydneym]

I'm quite fond of his work, on the whole. I know Ron Silliman wrote an essay about this poem, once, so perhaps you saw it there (or perhaps that essay has increased the popularity of this particular poem).