'... it is common knowledge <br />That I have never <br />Received my <br />Accreditation papers <br />Admitting me to the ranks <br />Of American Poets. <br /> <br />Having lived my life <br />As a non-poet <br />Who occasionally breaks <br />Into song, <br />I have no wish <br />At this late hour <br />To change either <br />My status or my habits <br />Even if I were capable <br />Of doing so, <br />And I clearly am not. <br /> <br />The life of a non-poet <br />Is an agreeable one: <br />He feels no obligation <br />To mingle <br />With other writers of verse <br />To exchange sensitivities, <br />No compulsion <br />To visit the 'Y' <br />To read from <br />His own works, <br />No need to travel <br />The wine-and-cheese circuit, <br />Where the word 'poet' <br />Carries the aroma of magic <br />And ladies creep up <br />From behind <br />Carrying ballpoint pens <br />and Sprigs of asphodel. <br /> <br />At an early age, <br />It would appear, <br />I fell into questionable habits: <br />I liked to rhyme one word <br />With another, <br />Liked to fashion lines <br />That bore some relation <br />To other lines <br />In the same stanza, <br />Liked to proceed <br />In a strict, <br />Or almost strict, <br />Metrical manner. <br /> <br />This sort of thing <br />Is rare nowadays. <br />The poet of today <br />Is neither a lyricist <br />Nor a cutup, <br />He is a serious artist <br />Bent on expressing <br />An emotional thought <br />In a straightforward, <br />If sometimes <br />Uninteresting way...' <br /> <br />White introduced 'Poems and Sketches' with the above prose which I have put into a format not favored by EBW who liked the rhyme of things.<br /><br />Sidi J. Mahtrow<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/confession-of-a-non-poet-e-b-white/
