‘Poets Have Harsh Words’

It please me immensely to know that The Times will no longer review books of poetry regularly. Instead it will show us an actual poem now and again. Who knows, maybe an actual poem only appears once in 10 years. Then when it does come walking down the pike or swimming into ken we might just be ready for it. I mean we, the human race.

The notion, however, that one must have a book in print before The Times will print the poet’s poem is stupid. Emily Dickinson would have been disqualified since she never had a book published while she lived.

The great thing about a newspaper is its perishability. A great poem, should one come into being, has nothing to do with being locked inside the covers of a book. The poem itself should be inevitable. To hell with all this kowtowing to pandering publishers. Let poetry speak through the poet.

ROBERT GREENFIELD

Isla Vista