Sunday, January 2, 2011

Robert Fitterman - Rubber Ducks

OK OK in response to an enormous request here is part of one of Robert Fitterman's Rubber Ducks poems from Metropolis XXX.

XVII. Rubber Ducks (For Sale)

Scuba Duck00000000000000000000 $3.95
Referee Duck0000000000000000000 $3.95
Surfer Duck00000000000000000000 $3.95
Captain Duck0000000000000000000 $3.95
James Brown Duck000000000000000 $3.95
Shakespeare Duck 0i00000000000000$3.95
Hippie Duck 0000000ii000000000000$3.95
Football & Cheerleader Duck000iii0000 $3.95
Stars & Stripes Duck00000000000ii00 $3.95
Space Shuttle Duck000000000000iii00$6.95
Uncle Sam Duck 000000000000000i0 $6.95
Dracula Duck0000000000000000000 $6.95
Betty Boop Duck0000000000000i000 $6.95
Santa Duck0000000000000000000ii0$6.95
Queen Elizabeth Duck00000000000ii0 $6.95
Groucho Marx Duck00000000000000 $6.95
Blues Brothers Duck0000000000000ii $6.95
Babe Ruth Duck000000000000000i00$6.95
Mona Lisa Duck 00000000000000000$6.95
Beethoven Duck 000000000000000i0 $6.95
Carmen Miranda Duck 000i000000i00$6.95

Yes that's it. What? you don't like it? It's not a poem! Of course it's a poem and a lot better than much of the stuff that passes for poetry - you know the my father stood in the potato drills up to his knees in rich earth while I'm here in an office up to my elbows in rubbish type of stuff. Look at the way the prices change at line 9/10. Look at the cultural references, look at the pecking order - James Brown and Shakespeare together.

Write a brief response to the poem commenting in particular of the poet's use of allegory, alliteration, assonance, denotation and connotation, imagery, irony, metaphor, symbols and tone.

If you like this check out Fitterman reading his poem Sprawl on YouTube here.

2 comments:

Paddy Smith said...

Ah, at last, Michael. Now at last we have the evidence that you've finally flipped!

Peter Goulding said...

Personally, I think its rather good. I presume the primitive rhyming scheme is deliberate?
I'm glad I came over for a gander.