Poetry Rocks !

I have a special announcement. Based on overwhelming feedback, the poetry page on my website www.robertraber.com will get its first posting on Friday April 4, 2008.

 

My poetry was launched the way most people’s poetry is launched: high school senior year creative writing class. The assignment was “write five original pieces of poetry.” Pretty simple stuff eh? Of course I got an A on the assignment. I was on the honor roll in high school.

 

Over the years I went back and created more poems. At one point I had enough to compile a book. Okay it was a half-inch three ring binder with a group of plastic sleeves holding a print out of each poem. I even went so far as to do some typesetting so each poem and a “look and feel” on the page. I titled it “Random Emotions From An Over-Worked Mind”.

 

Let me frame your expectations for this original poetry. None of this stuff is remotely Maya Angelou, Billy Collins, Robert Frost, or Henry David Thoreau. It will never be required reading along with Beowulf, the Divine Comedy, or The Canterbury Tales. Don’t look for a sonnet, a pantoum, or a villanelle. Some of it will make you snicker and most of it will make you say “Yikes I didn’t know Robert was such an emotional wreck”. I’ll include a brief snapshot of what, when, or who was the muse behind each submission. This way I don’t have to do any explaining later.

 

For me the biggest question I found in reviewing the pieces was “what happened to that guy?” I mean this in the sense of the things that you lose over time: innocence, adventure, improvisation, desire, courage. The feelings that you get when you listen to “Born to Run” while going over the Driscoll Bridge. (This reference placed to meet the requirements of residing in New Jersey. If I was living in Canada, I would have quoted “Red Barchetta”).

 

I don’t write near as much poetry as I once did. It’s been at least a year since any kind of new composition. Hopefully posting some items from the vault will bring about new inspiration. I promise to share it with all of you.

 

Feel free to send me any questions about the pieces. Hope you enjoy them.

 

(I did not provide any links in this posting on purpose. Go Forth and Search!)