{"id":309,"date":"2006-09-09T00:25:30","date_gmt":"2006-09-09T07:25:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/?p=309"},"modified":"2006-09-22T16:31:04","modified_gmt":"2006-09-22T23:31:04","slug":"riffing-on-poetry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/309\/riffing-on-poetry\/","title":{"rendered":"Riffing on poetry . . ."},"content":{"rendered":"

I wrote this as a speech many years ago. The little boy mentioned here towers over me by now…<\/p>\n

Riffing on poetry…<\/b><\/p>\n

My son Cameron is being confirmed this Easter. One of his jobs before then is to memorize the Nicene Creed,<\/i> which is the shortest statement of Catholic doctrine. He was complaining to me how hard it is to memorize. I didn’t argue. Instead, I said:<\/p>\n

The screen door slams. Mary’s dress sways.
\nLike a vision she dances across the porch as the radio plays.
\nRoy Orbison singing for the lonely.
\nHey, that’s me, and I want you only.
\nDon’t turn me home again,
\nI just can’t face myself alone again.
\nDon’t run back inside, darling,
\nyou know just what I’m here for.
\nSo you’re scared and you’re thinking
\nthat maybe we ain’t that young anymore.
\nShow a little faith, there’s magic in the night.
\nYou ain’t a beauty, but hey you’re alright.
\nOh and that’s alright with me.
\nYou can hide ‘neath your covers and study your pain
\nMake crosses from your lovers, throw roses in the rain
\nWaste your summer praying in vain
\nFor a savior to rise from these streets
\nWell now I’m no hero, that’s understood
\nAll the redemption I can offer, girl, is beneath this dirty hood
\nWith a chance to make it good somehow
\nHey what else can we do now?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What is it? Thunder Road,<\/i> by Bruce Springsteen. I gave Cameron every word, start to finish, more than 400 words.<\/p>\n

He said, “But still,<\/i> dad.” So I said:<\/p>\n

Early one morning the sun was shining,
\nI was laying in bed
\nWondering if she’d changed at all
\nIf her hair was still red.
\nHer folks they said our lives together
\nSure was gonna be rough
\nThey never did like Mama’s homemade dress
\nPapa’s bankbook wasn’t big enough.
\nAnd I was standing on the side of the road
\nRain falling on my shoes
\nHeading out for the East Coast
\nLord knows I’ve paid some dues getting through,<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What was I? Tangled Up In Blue,<\/i> by Bob Dylan. I said every one of the almost 600 words in that song.<\/p>\n

And it got me thinking about poetry. Poetry is about memorization first. It’s much older than discursive prose, and it was born not as some effete art form, but as an essential element Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I wrote this as a speech many years ago. The little boy mentioned here towers over me by now… Riffing on poetry… My son Cameron is being confirmed this Easter. One of his jobs before then is to memorize the Nicene Creed, which is the shortest statement of Catholic doctrine. He was complaining to me […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-309","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"hentry","6":"category-casual-friday","8":"no-featured-image"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12139,"url":"https:\/\/www.bloodhoundrealty.com\/BloodhoundBlog\/12139\/bubba-cools-out-in-the-cold\/","url_meta":{"origin":309,"position":0},"title":"Bubba cools out in the cold","author":"Greg Swann","date":"June 3, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"A Ramblin' Gamblin' Willie story News is not my thing, but sometimes it falls into your lap. 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