Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Poets United Midweek Motif ~ News Media


TODAY!

The 2017 Celebration of World Press
Freedom Day will be in Jakarta:  
"Critical Minds for Critical Times: 
Media’s role in advancing peaceful, just 
and inclusive societies."



“All I know is just what I read in the papers, and that's an alibi for my ignorance.” 

“In the developed countries of the capitalist world, the . . . . freedom of journalists is now becoming, in most cases, a very relative thing: it ends where the interests of the business begin. . . .” 

“The English-language press in India supports the project of corporate globalization fully. . . .  Let's support everything that leads to the conditions in which the massacre takes place, but when the killing starts, you recoil in middle-class horror, and say, ". . . . Can't we be more civilized?” 


Midweek Motif ~ 
News Media



So, our medium is poetry . . . 
which doesn't exclude news or the variety 
and uses of media in our world.  
Who controls whom?

We'd love to read your stories.


Your Challenge:  Either write a new documentary poem OR a new poem that comments on News Media.








Excerpt from Asphodel, That Greeny Flower 

by William Carlos Williams

. . . . 
Of asphodel, that greeny flower,
I come, my sweet,
to sing to you!
My heart rouses
thinking to bring you news
of something
that concerns you
and concerns many men. Look at
what passes for the new.
You will not find it there but in
despised poems.
It is difficult
to get the news from poems
yet men die miserably every day
for lack
of what is found there.
Hear me out
for I too am concerned
and every man
who wants to die at peace in his bed
besides. 

(Read the rest HERE.)

William Zanzinger killed poor Hattie Carroll
With a cane that he twirled around his diamond ring finger
At a Baltimore hotel society gathering
And the cops were called in and his weapon took from him
As they rode him in custody down to the station
And booked William Zanzinger for first-degree murder
But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize all fears
Take the rag away from your face
Now ain't the time for your tears
William Zanzinger, who at twenty-four years
Owns a tobacco farm of six hundred acres
With rich wealthy parents who provide and protect him
And high office relations in the politics of Maryland
Reacted to his deed with a shrug of his shoulders
And swear words and sneering, and his tongue it was snarling
In a matter of minutes, on bail was out walking
But you who philosophize disgrace and criticize fears
Take the rag away from your face
Now ain't the time for your tears
Hattie Carroll was a maid in the kitchen
She was fifty-one years old and gave birth to ten children
Who carried the dishes and took out the garbage

 . . . .
Read the rest HERE. (The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll lyrics © Bob Dylan Music Co.)

From Blue Front


There were trees on those streets that were named
for trees: Sycamore, Cedar, Poplar, Pine,

Elm, where the woman's body was found,
where the man's body was taken and burned—
There must have been trees, there were trees
on Seventh Street, in front of the house that stands

in the picture behind the carriage that holds
the boy's mother, the boy's cousin, the boy—
And of course there were trees on Washington
Avenue, wide boulevard lined with exotic

ginkgoes, stately magnolias, there were trees
on that street that are still on that street,
trees that shaded the fenced-in yards of the large
Victorian houses, the mansion built by the man

who sold flour to Grant for the Union troops,
trees that were known to the crowd that saw
the victim hanged, though not on a tree, this
was not the country, they used a steel arch

with electric lights, and later a lamppost, this
was a modern event, the trees were not involved.
. . . . 
(Read more HERE.)

🙈 🙉 🙊

Please share your new poem using Mr. Linky below and visit others in the spirit of the community—

                (Next week Susan’s Midweek Motif will be ~ Childbirth)
♡♡♡


18 comments:

  1. Thank you for another midweek prompt - we tend to avoid all news these days.. it's far too depressing

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good morning, Poets United! I haven't seen today's international celebration of freedom of the press in the news, have you?

    Have a marvelous and positive day.

    ReplyDelete
  3. When I saw this prompt, it let loose emotions I didn't even know were there. Sharing my poem Untitled (when nature serves as lone witness) thank you for the potent prompt this week, Susan ❤️

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Powerful stuff, Sanaa. I'm glad you're here.

      Delete
  4. Thank you for a lovely prompt Susan. Aloha to all in the pantry today. May swirls of peaces vibes come your way

    much love...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm feeling the peace vibes, Gillena! Glad you are here.

      Delete
  5. Hi Susan! Thank you for this challenging prompt. News nowadays doesn't inspire much, and so I link a slightly different on the news!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good to see you, Khaya. Thank you for your poem.

      Delete
  6. As I often do, I harken back to what news used to be, when we could rely on what we hear.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We did rely upon it once. Did that make it more true? Haha. I now question so much I once took for granted. So good to have your voice mingling with the rest here.

      Delete
  7. Well, so far I have

    The News
    is Bad.

    Sort of stumped. But I will come read everyone's and hope inspiration dawns.........I sort of wrote a poem about this last week, so will have to seek other ideas.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes. That song from the Wicked Fairy in the Wiz keeps resonating in my head: "Don't bring me more bad news." (But I used that a couple of weeks ago.

      Delete
  8. Let us celebrate good news.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amen, Martin. I hope you will bring us some.

      Delete
  9. Coming late to the party – after a section of the Aussie news media provided me with topical subject matter.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi,
    I just submitted my latest piece on the matter. Please have a look.
    Thanking all.

    ReplyDelete

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