The age demanded that we sing
And cut away our tongue.
The age demanded that we flow
And hammered in the bung.
The age demanded that we dance
And jammed us into iron pants.
And in the end the age was handed
The sort of shit that it demanded.
Leave a guest comment (subject to review)
Comments
1 - 5 of 5
-
Not sure this belongs in the humour category, it's quite serious I think. There's irony here and quite a bitter tone, and I could draw parallels with that age with the current one, especially in the last couplet.
-
-
Yemassee
I removed the 'Humour' tag - it was incorrect. - Von
-
-
This Poem
From guest jimmena (contact)
I recited this poem to my poetry class and my teacher LOVED it!!! -
Irony
From guest Robert F. Burns (contact)
It is ironic that Hemingway`s piece Is followed by orders, not a request An order that borders, on war not peace Be sure the editor, always knows best 'Leave a guest comment (subject to review)' Does blend so nicely with Papa`s topic Perfect epiphany for us to view We get the point, you don`t have to shout it We are all for accuracy, tis true How did he write this in two-thousand four Does his spirit come from out of the blue He had been dead forty-three years or more We do not expect to see this in print But in Papa`s eye there is still a glint -
I am a great admirer of Hemingway, the story-teller. I don't know what to think about his poems, only two of which I have read so far, and that too today in oldpoetry. I am interested to see what he does with poetry with his straight, clinical style of writing.
-
From guest J.Star (contact)
I agree with a lot of what he is saying in this one. This was my first Hemingway poem so I didn't know what to expect. And I must say I was pleased! I loved the use of irony as well as the revelation at the end. GREAT POEM! -
suhweet
From guest brittany (contact)
i love this poem and i hope that in the end it gets all the shit it demands! -
I wonder if the "end of the age" ever gets the "shit that it demanded". Call me a cynic, but it seems that the powers that be get away with so much, that even when justice is served, we get the short end of the stick. When a country goes to war--it's the little people that always lose the most. To sit back and yell Victory is shallow when there is a body count. Singing with a cut away tongue (lines 1-2) OK--there was still some singing going on, with media, with posters...it was hawked, sold...Thinking about the movie The Western Front: young soldies serving willingly during the initial stages of WWI, and as the war progressed, the casualities increased...the willingness changed to a why. Even today, so many opposed the current war in the Middle East, yet, it happened. Was our tongue cut away? Did we make a difference?
What I like about this poem is that it does address issues facing society--the issue of Free speech, of celebrations, and of truth. It shows that there is a controlling force against what society wants to do, and how things are in place to prevent the true expressing of those "things". -
Good poem.
Adding your comment:
1 - 5 of 5
