Two Pieces, one Werewolf

Two Pieces, one Werewolf

One, a short article called "Minor Poets, Major Works".

The other, a poem with a werewolf in it.

First, a quick word about the article: neat. It works as a review by Ed Park of Garret Caples's book called Quintessence of the Minor: Symbolist Poetry in English, the first in Wave Books' pamphlet series, which Park says is about as thick as "a program for a lengthy wedding." The title seems a little stuffy, but Park seemed to have really liked it.

In the article, because it is on the poetry foundation's website, you get tons of hyperlinks to obscure writers, and that is a plus. Some of them have awesome names like Trumbull Stickney, who had an unfortunately short life. I encourage you to spend five minutes and check it out.

Now, onto important business. Werewolves! Richard Brautigan was a writer who became famous in the sixties for his prose, but also wrote poetry, which I did not know until about five minutes ago, and I don't know much more about him as of writing this other than he has a short poem titled "A Boat" that goes:

A Boat

O beautiful

was the werewolf

in his evil forest.

We took him

to the carnival

and he started

crying

when he saw

the Ferris wheel.

Electric

green and red tears

flowed down

his furry cheeks.

He looked

like a boat

out on the dark

water.

Great poem? I think it is trying to have fun comparing the strangeness of a mythical creature to our amusement parks and carnival rides, and it works. I like it for its off-handedness and those "Electic/ green and red tears" flowing down "furry cheeks" most.

"A Boat" functions well as an example of Symbolist poetry, which Mr. Caples might like.
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