When you describe your
own poems as "probably not
very good," your false
humility tells me, at once,
not to waste my time with them.
Kyakuchuu
Author's Notes/Comments:
This is not meant to be harsh. It is the summary of a lesson taught to me in September, 1976, by a professor in the English Department when I asked him to read a long poem of mine (400+ lines), but said, "It is probably not very good." He immediately handed it back to me and said, "I agree." When I asked him how he could say that without even looking at it, he said that I, its author, had already declared it as "not very good." So why put any reading time into it? The self-disparaging remark is a false humility that sabatoges the poem's, or poems', effect upon the reader. I see so many new or young poets on postpoems who do this to themselves; and, if they have disparaged their own poems, that tells me, as reader, not to linger but to move on. I am sure someone on postpoems (who knows who it is) will say I am too arrogant to disparage my own poems.
My 9th grade English teacher,
My 9th grade English teacher, Mr. Adams, who was extremely generous with his time – would often mark my poetic progression at crucial junction points, underlining a phrase or idea with these words – “Excellent!!! Now go further.” or “Yes!!! Go deep, deep – let it hum” or “This is the stuff – the stuff – the stuff. Now let it shine.” And it really made me think, about what I was doing.
That is the best kind of
That is the best kind of teacher.
Starward
Someone should have given me
Someone should have given me this wake up call when I was first playing with words as kid. Would have yanked me right out of the many pitty parties I had for myself. Well said. Patricia
The professor who said those
The professor who said those things to me, thus inspiring the poem years later, became a close mentor who gave me excellent advice the entire four years I was there.
Starward
Perfect! The writer defeats
Perfect! The writer defeats themselves the moment they put out there that they are unsure or not really into what they have written.
I agree!
I agree!
Starward
I had a similar experience
I had a similar experience the day I wrote my first poem. I was to share with a group of people. I said, "I did write one, but idont knowif its any good." The teacher said, "well, you just killed it" and moved on to the next person. Later he explained to us all why he skipped me. Then I shared and they all enjoyed it.
Copyright © morningglory
My poem that the professor
My poem that the professor read was not very good, too Miltonic and not aware of the changes the 20th century had wrought. A month after that meeting, I began to read T S Eliot---and away we went!
Starward