The Many Faces of Poetry: 74
Posted: December 10, 2021 Filed under: Poetry, The Many Faces of Poetry | Tags: Arthur Rosch, Poetry, The Many Faces of Poetry, Writing to be Read 3 Comments
74
November 13, 2021
Old.
I am old.
Why is that so good?
I have a lot of experience.
That’s part of it. Experience
gives perspective. The mature mind
knows how swiftly things change,
how needless is the stress we impose
upon ourselves.
Old
means closer to death. Thoughts of death
sometimes visit. I have no problem with
death. Once, I would have raged at the prospect
of dying invisibly, and all my creations vanished. Never mind applause.
I don’t need that. It would be embarrassing.
The universe is vast and varied. My bit of it,
my earth landscape, has been just as varied and strange.
Every person is a universe; we live in a universe of universes that never end.
Old? If I could live another hundred years
I wouldn’t want to. These times are terrible. Humans
have multiplied without limit, till the earth groans. Why is it that only humans fuck up?
Whales don’t fuck up. Elephants don’t fuck up.
It must have to do with free will. Nah! It’s just stupidity.
It takes a lot of work to be smart. And even more work to be wise.
To be smart and wise, it helps to be
old. Whales and elephants: they’re old.
They’re old enough
and smart enough
to die off before the world becomes so miserable
that it’s no longer a wise place to live.
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Arthur Rosch is a novelist, musician, photographer and poet. His works are funny, memorable and often compelling. One reviewer said “He’s wicked and feisty, but when he gets you by the guts, he never lets go.” Listeners to his music have compared him to Frank Zappa, Tom Waits, Randy Newman or Mose Allison. These comparisons are flattering but deceptive. Rosch is a stylist, a complete original. His material ranges from sly wit to gripping political commentary.
Arthur was born in the heart of Illinois and grew up in the western suburbs of St. Louis. In his teens he discovered his creative potential while hoping to please a girl. Though she left the scene, Arthur’s creativity stayed behind. In his early twenties he moved to San Francisco and took part in the thriving arts scene. His first literary sale was to Playboy Magazine. The piece went on to receive Playboy’s “Best Story of the Year” award. Arthur also has writing credits in Exquisite Corpse, Shutterbug, eDigital, and Cat Fancy Magazine. He has written five novels, a memoir and a large collection of poetry. His autobiographical novel, Confessions Of An Honest Man won the Honorable Mention award from Writer’s Digest in 2016.
More of his work can be found at www.artrosch.com
Photos at https://500px.com/p/artsdigiphoto?view=photos
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Writing to be Read 
Art, you are an unbelievable poet. It amazes me how you manage to make your vital points in such a compelling way. Well done.
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Robbie, you are so sweet. I’m grateful to have creativity. I’m quite certain it saved my life. Other than that…survival? Ha! I’m still here.
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Yep… I feel this one. Wishing you a peaceful weekend. Hugs.
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