A conversation about poetry. You were trying to illustrate the difference between the poetry of Emily Dickinson and that of the beatnik poets, and decided to use a Russian short story as an example.
You said: a man was on trial in Heaven by a panel of 4 Judges.
I interrupted: which 4 Judges?
You replied: that's not important, listen, God wasn't one of the Judges, He was a witness.
I asked: for what crime?
You went: for robbing an old woman of all the money she's got.
And I kept quiet to listen.
You continued: and God bore witness that the accused was not unkind.. he cried over losing a little red top when he was 12 years old. End of story.
I looked quizzically at you and you explained that when one's so high up, everything seems to have the same significance: robbing an old woman and crying over a lost toy. The beatnik poets write the same way, rendering everything equal and hence not crafting poetry like Emily Dickinson.
You said: a man was on trial in Heaven by a panel of 4 Judges.
I interrupted: which 4 Judges?
You replied: that's not important, listen, God wasn't one of the Judges, He was a witness.
I asked: for what crime?
You went: for robbing an old woman of all the money she's got.
And I kept quiet to listen.
You continued: and God bore witness that the accused was not unkind.. he cried over losing a little red top when he was 12 years old. End of story.
I looked quizzically at you and you explained that when one's so high up, everything seems to have the same significance: robbing an old woman and crying over a lost toy. The beatnik poets write the same way, rendering everything equal and hence not crafting poetry like Emily Dickinson.
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