There are lots of comments around the web referring to Elizabeth Alexander’s poem composed for Barack Obama’s presidential inauguration.
This article, written by Jim Fisher before the ceremony, makes interesting reading, as it includes information about previous inaugural poems and US background that helps put things a little more in perspective.
And now the reading is over and has been watched presumably by millions, many people seem to agree with Carol Rumens, in the Guardian, who says the praise song was too prosy.
One of the big problems certainly seems to have been the prosiness of the delivery, for which Ms Alexander is not 100% to blame. It’s difficult to read poetry in public in any cicumstances, but even moreso when the audience is a huge outdoor crowd.
I think the actual poem makes more sense as poetry when it’s on the page, complete with linebreaks. A version can be seen on Mark Doty’s blog
But, if you prefer your verse a little simpler, or more traditional, you could do worse than watch Rev. Lowery’s benediction from the same event. It’s got rhyme and rhythm patterns, and is delivered with far more apparent sincerity and enthusiasm as well as having enough cliché, homeliness and predicability to be accessible:
don't confuse the narrator 
One thought on “occasional poetry”