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The Forum > Article Comments > Every country needs a poet laureate > Comments

Every country needs a poet laureate : Comments

By Steven Schwartz, published 31/12/2021

In the age of money, when universities, museums and orchestras routinely assess their economic impact in dollars and cents, poetry stands apart.

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Where may one apply?

Sample:
State of Origin
An epic poem
First part (poem is over word limit)
Australia is a continent much larger than Great Brit’in
Both girt by sea, and goodness me, there’s lots of room to fit in.
The ancient tribes of England wore a coat of purple pigment
The woad to woo in was a shoe-in - Eve knew that a fig meant
Of imagination helped, and found a leaf to cover.
No fashionistas then, as when, each leaf was like t’other.
And populations grew and grew and neighbours came to call
With Picts and Scots and Vikings too, they even had the Gaul
To intermix with Anglo-Saxons, Celts and Calidonians
And Romans to the gloamin’s came (no hint of Patagonians).
They raped and pillaged, fought and brought new customs to the region
Like coins and buildings, clothing too, and armies by the legion.
Survivors of that lusty lot became a mighty nation
Which ruled the waves and waived the rules, discovering Inflation.
But years before, in times of yore, the Romans beat them to it
Diocletian got his coins before his subjects knew it 
He did it in de basement, where the plebs had not a clue
And quickly spent his worth-less coins, like inside traders do.
The Emperor used coinage - fifty thousand called ‘denarii’
Could buy a pound of stuff called gold, he found still necessary.
But coinage he could play with, and soon substituted lead
In thirty years it needed twenty million ‘d’ instead.
Barbarians demanded gold - Rome’s men were paid by token
The Fall of Rome resulted when their currency was broken. 
But always gold and silver stayed, those noble metals treasured
As un-rusting and easily and able to be measured
Beaten, but unbeaten, you can take an ounce of gold
And pound it into thirty metres square of leaf I’m told.
And silver’s good for dipping into - cheaper, more emoting  
Base metals look much better with a silver-sided coating.
.........
Jock McPoet 
Posted by John McRobert, Friday, 31 December 2021 3:51:39 PM
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Australia has much to inspire poetry about
And yet a poet laureate we're better off without
For if a topic's worthy of a laureate's commission
Then surely it is better put to open competition?
Posted by Aidan, Sunday, 2 January 2022 1:12:20 PM
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Just another closed circle elite looking for funding !
Posted by individual, Tuesday, 4 January 2022 8:03:44 AM
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Just a cautionary note if I may.

Poetry does seem to feature strongly in the lives of many of the world's dictators.

http://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20171025-why-tyrants-love-to-write-poetry

“Radovan Karadzic: Psychiatrist-Poet Who Led Bosnian Serbs to War” even won a major Russian literary prize for his own poetry.

http://balkaninsight.com/2019/03/14/radovan-karadzic-psychiatrist-poet-who-led-bosnian-serbs-to-war/

Perhaps a rule against any poet laureate being allowed to run for office should be considered first.
Posted by SteeleRedux, Tuesday, 4 January 2022 8:21:58 AM
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