Oh You Gatherer Poem by Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Oh You Gatherer

Rating: 3.5


Oh you gatherer
      of the fine ash of poetry
            ash of the too-white flame
                  of poetry

Consider those who have burned before you
            in the so-white fire

Crucible of Keats and Campana
            Bruno and Sappho
                  Rimbaud and Poe and Corso
      And Shelley burning on the beach
                   at Viarreggio

And now in the night
      in the general conflagration
            the white light
                  still consuming us
      small clowns
            with our little tapers
            held to the flame

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Dr Antony Theodore 16 July 2019

Crucible of Keats and Campana Bruno and Sappho Rimbaud and Poe and Corso And Shelley burning on the beach at Viarreggio.. very good poem. tony

1 1 Reply
Dominic Windram 26 May 2020

Exquisitely written free verse poem courtesy of Lawrence Ferlinghetti. It abounds with potent metaphors. It dertainly merits a 10!

0 0 Reply
Mahtab Bangalee 26 May 2020

poetry the white fire can burn the poet and reader but make not ashes! ! ! !

0 0 Reply
Ratnakar Mandlik 26 May 2020

An outlook about the poetry and poets iin the so called modern times. Well deserved modern poem of the day.

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Me Poet Yeps Poet 26 May 2020

this poetry is beautiful like ashes of poetry I hope the poet is alive 117/500/one ++million world's poets

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Kumarmani Mahakul 26 May 2020

And now in the night in the general conflagration the white light still consuming us small clowns with our little tapers held to the flame......fine ideology. Beautiful poem. It is nice to be chosen this poem as the modern poem of the poem of the day.

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Edward Kofi Louis 26 May 2020

Ash of poetry! ! ! Thanks for sharing this poem with us.

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Glen Kappy 26 May 2020

as a fan of poetry, and particularly a fan of ferlinghetti my favorite beat poet, it's interesting to read this reflection on the work of poets. another poem of his on the subject, which begins, " constantly risking absurdity..." comes to mind. we write in part because we have to, in part to communicate, but who will see our flames in the vast landscape that is earth and time and all the poets who write now and written before us? -glen

1 0 Reply
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