ODE TO THE UNKNOWN WRITER
In Melbourne’s streets
The unknown writer dies,
Wreathed in all his solecisms;
On Melbourne’s roads
The unknown writer lies,
Sheathed in all his pleonasms;
Unrepentant to the end of life
A rebel against the ordinary,
Against totalitarianism.
The unknown writer’s death
Has passed without lament,
His words unknown, unseen in print;
The unknown writer’s final breath
Has finally been spent,
Like a broken, discarded flint;
His dreams of fame bereft
His work is beneath contempt,
Or so his critics hint.
The unknown writer’s art
Was time and money wasted,
According to his own family;
And with each poison dart
His poetry has tasted,
Each sly, unsubtle homily,
The unknown writer’s heart
Would slow but surely break,
Until he died in ignominy.
THE END
© Copyright 2021 Philip Roberts
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
About this poem
The worst bit about being a failed artist (especially if you believe you have some talent) is that no-one in your family ever supports you. Instead, they taunt you, torment you for decades, demanding to know when you will, "Give up this foolishness and get a real job!"
Written on September 17, 2003
Submitted by PHIL_ROBERTS on July 13, 2021
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 39 sec read
- 2 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABAXBAXCX DEFDEFXXF GHCGHCGXC XXX |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic tetrameter |
Characters | 796 |
Words | 131 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 9, 9, 9, 3 |
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"ODE TO THE UNKNOWN WRITER" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/104881/ode-to-the-unknown-writer>.
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