h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Dandelions
spread further

carried away by wind and travel
jagged in appearance
agreeable and wholesome
shocking yellow and gentle white

that she digs up and brings home

- small confession: Having seen what FM posted in the 'Oh Dear what a pity never mind' thread about Dandelions (which is a 'real' poem which I read and wasn't wild about) I thought I could do better but lacked inspiration.

So I did what seemed a good idea at the time.
I Googled Dandelions and waited to see which of the words that appeared felt right.

The above is the result - a cross between true Discordian randomness and remixing
(I'm really keen on the idea of remixing words, as one does with music, and I know Jeff Noon (genius) and William Boroughs pretty much got there before me but I don't mind too much. After all, there were musicians before Lennon and McCartney.)
- and a bit of magical thinking, which makes me really happy because it worked. I am particularly satisfied with the little googlemix above.

I made a space for a poem about Dandelions and one appeared.
I took the subject and asked for inspiration.
I picked the words that felt warm and dandeliony.
It worked.

The only poetry I've ever 'got' is that of E J Thribb (age 17 1/2).

And John Betjeman.

Oh, and Roger McGough.

Try John Cooper Clarke. He's V. Good.

I'm fond of ee cummings, TS Eliot, a bit of Blake, some Byron, quite a lot of Shakespeare, Owen, Sassoon (Seigfreid, not Vidal) and a whole bunch of others that I've stumbled across at one time or another.

Roger McGough is a damn fine poet, though.

JCC - yes, I've got a couple of his records. Definitely got a way with words... one in particular If you've heard 'Evidently Chicken Town' you'll know which one I mean.

it all comes full circle - I love JCC, and I'm also particulaly fond of Atilla The Stockbroker (who is in Germany right now but I can't get to see him)

I also really like Ted Hughes - especially The Crow, that's a fantastic set of poems.

Yevgeny Yevtushenko is another that I had to study for my Russian A-level and I got to reading more of his work, of course I read them in translation, but he does have a way with words (and a great translator)

But mostly I like things like Edward Lear and Spike Milligan:
From Sydney zoo
an alligator
was put aboard
a flying freighter
he ate the pilot
and the navigator
then asked for more
with mashed potater

Nice work, though I must confess i don't quite understand it, english student who doesnt get poetry here..

poetry is as much about sound as language
which is why I love things like Nonsense Poetry (not just Lear) and Jabberwocky is so totally brilliant (especially translated into a language i don't speak)

I am a huge lewis carrole fan!

...and you can do things with poetry that you can't do with prose. There's a lot more room for rulebreaking. Hang on, let's deconstruct something.

"Dandelions
spread further

carried away by wind and travel
jagged in appearance
agreeable and wholesome
shocking yellow and gentle white

that she digs up and brings home"

OK, fun with words: how can something jagged also be agreeable and wholesome? Well, dandelions can be. Jagged leaves, but pleasant to look at. And there's another juxtaposition in the next line: shocking yellow, gentle white. Kind of an "ouch! ahhhhhh " reaction.

And I also liked the idea that these rugged, jagged travellers could bring out feelings of green grass and summer days and maybe even home.

I'm still wondering who "she" is, though, because I hadn't decided whether the poem was about a dog I used to know or a person, or even someone I haven't met that might like dandelions.

*points at self*

me, for instance.

I think the flowers are really pretty, the leaves are tasty and the clocks turn into sugar fairies.

And they are such a gorgeous color, and make what I laughingly call my "lawn" (not really) look very pretty indeed.