Oh Really John Berryman Poem by Mary Angela Douglas

of course we should revere our finest predecessors,

shouldnt we? unless we are brutes, malcontents.

up to sophmoric tricks. snake charmer and snake.

children egging the best house in the neighborhood

on Halloween.

I just discovered John Berryman's less than astute

'Rilke was a jerk'

oh really John Berryman.

how much could you resemble a petulant crank

banking on such brashness to set you apart

in the lower forms of art

to have seethed at his starriness and gotten away

scot free. WHEEE! !

to heck with your dream songs.

you have wounded the skies.

take that home

with your poetry prize.

mary angela douglas `12 august 2023