Poetry Then and Now

Poetry Then and Now

There is a dichotomy in American poetry. There is the “free verse revolution” of the Walt Whitman heritage espousing the William Carlos Williams’ search for a “new measure” which sounds American rather than European and Ezra Pound’s “make it new,” and there is the “conservatism” of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s metrical poetry and Robert Frost‘s criticism of free verse as “playing tennis with the net down.”

So we have the “free verse revolution” (which has become the establishment for the past 50 years) of Whitman, Williams, Allen Ginsberg, Diane Wakoski, et al, e.g. 99% of the poets; and the “conservatism” of Longfellow and Frost, et al, e.g. to a lesser extent Howard Nemerov, John Hollander, C. K. Williams, and Dana Gioia.

Then there are “The New Formalists” who write in the conservative metrical form, but are liberal politically, and also write free verse. It takes more than the metrical form to be conservative and so the movement has fizzled. The country is looking for formal poets who are conservative politically. Poets that have the courage and vision to be “major” poets, not just political hacks.

A Conservative Voice Emerges from the Liberal-Left World of Poetry

A Conservative Voice Emerges from the Liberal-Left World of Poetry
June 19, 2006 09:09 AM EST (Advertorial from The Conservative Voice wewbsite)

Off the top of your head, name one talented poet who writes from a conservative point of view. Give up? Well, one emerging literary talent is poet Thomas Newton, and his first book of verse is titled, The Conservative Rebellion.

The title alone sets apart this collection of poems from the usual tomes written by poets who are hailed more for their anti-American political message than for the quality of their work.

In a world where the choices for so-called "known" poets are Amiri Baraka (Leroi Jones) on the hard-left and Maya Angelou, a favorite of the elite Liberals in academia and show business, the promise of a new voice from the right is enough to make conservatives want to give poetry another chance.

Newton's collection of poems is a far cry from the overly sentimental, pretentious work of his contemporaries.

For example, here's a bit of verse from Newton's poem "Farewell to a Hero," which graced the pages of the Wall Street Journal:

From Winfield, Alabama, to the sands
Of far away Afghanistan; from strife
To solitude and friends and grateful hands
Soothing his son, his girls and his wife;
From happy hometown football fans' loud cheers,
To solemn ceremony, solemn praise,
All confirmed by a grateful nation's tears
As seven polished Marine rifles raise;
From aquamarine birthstone, childish fun,
Winfield High, Auburn, and a need to roam
To stately white headstone at Arlington
National Cemetery, his new home;
From their first words and Cupid's gentle shove,
To her last farewell, "Semper Fi, my love."

Who but a patriot and a conservative would pen a poem about a CIA officer -- Johnny "Mike" Span -- who was the first casualty of the conflict in Afghanistan.

Newton even found inspiration in the predator drones and in fact titled one of his poems "The CIA Predator Drone."

In his Poetry Manifesto, Thomas Newton writes:

"Conservative Poetry is a celebration of the best of thoughts, emotions, true nobility, accomplishments, intelligence, true love, style, creativity, taste, chastity, wit, wanderlust, serendipity, and the artistic beauty of the metrical line.”

That's a clear departure from the anti-America, anti-Semitic, antiwar nonsense written by Baraka, who was honored with the post of New Jersey Poet Laureate. Shame on New Jersey.

(For information on this book of poetry visit http://www.conservativerebellion.com)


(The original is found at The Conservative Voice)
Websites that have picked up the story

The State of American Culture

The State of American Culture

When the finest book of poetry by a living poet in the English language can only be found in one library in the world, and Howard Stern has a $100 million contract, what does that say about the state of American culture?

The State of British Culture

The State of British Culture

When the finest book of poetry by a living poet in the English language can only be found in one library in the world, and Sir Paul McCartney is knighted with the same knighthood as Sir Isaac Newton, what does that say about the state of British culture?