Comments on: "growing up to become a Pope is a lot of fun"

"growing up to become a Pope is a lot of fun"

Kattullus — Mon, 18 Apr 2005 14:32:07 -0800

Poetry by James Tate. Here are also: some thoughts by John Ashbery, an audio file of Tate reading a poem [real], an interview and finally, a dissenting view of James Tate by Dan Schneider (not the guy who was on Head of the Class). But all that is merely an excuse to link to today's most appropriate poem, James Tate's How the Pope is Chosen. Here's a brief excerpt:

After a poodle dies
all the cardinals flock to the nearest 7-Eleven.
They drink Slurpies until one of them throws up
and then he's the new Pope.

By: 40 Watt

40 Watt — Mon, 18 Apr 2005 14:50:36 -0800

That's awesome.

By: elwoodwiles

elwoodwiles — Mon, 18 Apr 2005 15:00:21 -0800

At first I wasn't too taken by these but then I fell on this: The wrong way home All night a door floated down the river. It tried to remember little incidents of pleasure from its former life, like the time the lovers leaned against it kissing for hours and whispering those famous words. Later, there were harsh words and a shoe was thrown and the door was slammed. Comings and goings by the thousands, the early mornings and late nights, years, years. O they've got big plans, they'll make a bundle. The door was an island that swayed in its sleep. The moon turned the doorknob just slightly, burned its fingers and ran, and still the door said nothing and slept. At least that's what they like to say, the little fishes and so on. Far away, a bell rang, and then a shot was fired.

By: ChrisTN

ChrisTN — Mon, 18 Apr 2005 15:36:45 -0800

("a poodle"?)

By: underer

underer — Mon, 18 Apr 2005 15:45:46 -0800

This is kind of charming:

What do you like about lemurs? They're just fabulous. They're the most wonderful primates imaginable. They're only in Madagascar and they're endangered like most things, you know. Natives kill them because of their superstitions. The lemurs have these long fingers and if they point them at you, the natives think it means you're going to die. But lemurs are very, very gentle creatures. They constantly hug each other. I don't want to make a big deal out of this. I'm a normal person who happens to like animals a lot. I don't want to get too self-conscious about how they get in my poems because that'll, you know, stop me. I'm just a normal person in all other regards except for my particular love for lemurs. [laughter]

By: VanRoosta

VanRoosta — Mon, 18 Apr 2005 16:53:38 -0800

I like it.

By: almostbarefoot

almostbarefoot — Mon, 18 Apr 2005 17:07:54 -0800

His poems are ridiculous and beautiful... It's almost as if he writes to tease high school English teachers.

By: rocket88

rocket88 — Mon, 18 Apr 2005 17:14:03 -0800

James Tate's been a favourite of mine since the night I was bored from studying in the University library and stumbled upon a copy of Viper Jazz. I spent the whole night reading all his poems I could get my hands on. Never Again The Same is one of my favourites.

By: Kloryne

Kloryne — Mon, 18 Apr 2005 18:00:25 -0800

Thanks for the link Kattullus. I'm glad to know about this guy. I just finished reading all the poems on the site, and I'm off to find more (as long as I don't have to leave my house, of course).

By: ori

ori — Mon, 18 Apr 2005 18:01:14 -0800

Great stuff, thanks.

By: kcds

kcds — Mon, 18 Apr 2005 18:22:35 -0800

Somewhere, in a spaceship far, far away, Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz weeps quietly.

By: bendybendy

bendybendy — Mon, 18 Apr 2005 18:35:34 -0800

Arrgh, ye be pirates, aren't ye? Those that quote the complete work. Right?

By: lilboo

lilboo — Mon, 18 Apr 2005 20:21:21 -0800

I LOVE Tate, and this one could be my favorite: Teaching the Ape to Write Poems They didn't have much trouble teaching the ape to write poems: first they strapped him into the chair, then tied the pencil around his hand (the paper had already been nailed down). Then Dr. Bluespire leaned over his shoulder and whispered into his ear: "You look like a god sitting there. Why don't you try writing something?"

By: Toecutter

Toecutter — Mon, 18 Apr 2005 22:07:30 -0800

No, no, a thousand times no. For God's sake read Charles Simic instead.

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Mon, 18 Apr 2005 22:21:26 -0800

hmmm ... i think mr tate is one of those acquired tastes that takes time to appreciate, although i hear things i like mr schnieder's opinions are more provacative than his poetry, i'm afraid ... (scroll way down to the bottom, look to the right for links)

By: Suparnova

Suparnova — Mon, 18 Apr 2005 22:34:08 -0800

This is off topic.... but if I were pope, I would be pope awesome the 1st.

By: TimothyMason

TimothyMason — Mon, 18 Apr 2005 23:40:11 -0800

Schneider doesn't seem to know about Rene Char.

By: sleepy pete

sleepy pete — Tue, 19 Apr 2005 01:00:57 -0800

Of the ones in the first link, "Good Time Jesus" is a personal favorite. I have "Teaching the Ape to Write Poems" displayed prominently by my computer at work, lilboo, because it makes editing science papers much, much easier. Thanks for the post Kattullus.

By: theinsectsarewaiting

theinsectsarewaiting — Tue, 19 Apr 2005 05:34:10 -0800

I second that, Toecutter. I was initially kind of enthralled by Tate, he was so refreshing when compared to the gray tedium of so many around him, but then I realized that his work was just another form of tedium, so mannered, so predictably clever. Me, I prefer Albert Goldbarth and yes, I know he is also kinda mannered and yes he can go on a bit - but what a voice.

By: dlugoczaj

dlugoczaj — Tue, 19 Apr 2005 08:23:36 -0800

Goldbarth fan, right here. Both Tate and Goldbarth fans may also like Dean Young--occasionally mannered but has a sneaky sense of fun. On the Pope track, I've had these lyrics stuck in my head for several weeks: Well, you got your pope pennants, buttons, your pope clothes, You got your pope binoculars to see him up close and I cried when I saw that man in white. I cried, much to my surrounders' delight. I cried, 'cause I couldn't breathe anymore; I cried 'cause people were stepping on my feet. Hey, hey Mr. Holiness way over there, Maybe we love you, but we're sadly lacking air. (remainder here)