Amalgam

Day 3: today's prompt features a poem by Frank O'Hara, a founding member of the New York School of poets who I've come across recently in my OU course.  His poem “Why I Am Not a Painter” is pretty characteristic, with dialogue and a playfully offhand tone. The  challenge is to write a poem obliquely explaining why I am a poet and not some other kind of artist. 

I see things differently sometimes, 

The light and shape and connections emanating from an object, an event, 

Feel the need to capture it, hold it safe in my failing, fading memory,

Seek out the perfect form for each word, line, pause, repetition,

To bridge the space between how I see what you may see

As you stand next to me, reading these words.

A photographer sees the light and shade, the drama in a moment,

Picks the angle, depth of field, exposure;

An artist chooses how much to include, what can be ignored,

Which medium to best express the beauty of their image;

A songwriter finds the essence of a moment, its mood,

Expresses it in melody, in rhythm and refrain.

A little of each lives inside my head

As I sit, and sift, and winnow.

© Copyright 2025. Chris Auger. All Rights Reserved