Vexing Verse: A self-absorbed "antiwar" poet ruins a White House symposium

Opinion Journal ^ | 02/05/03 | ROGER KIMBALL

[Pokey78]

I was looking forward to lunch at the White House. It was to have been next Wednesday, Feb. 12. Laura Bush had invited a flock of poets and critics to a symposium on "Poetry and the American Voice." I have never been to the White House. I was quite bucked at the prospect.

[SuziQ]

"While Mrs. Bush respects the right of all Americans to express their opinions, she, too, has opinions and believes it would be inappropriate to turn a literary event into a political forum."

Good for Laura!! I'm glad she's not going to put up with that kind of crapola in the White House!

[hellinahandcart]

Follow-up ping.

[Drango]

What rubbish.

Poetry to my ears.

[spodefly]

There are entirely too many poisoned left-wing minds in this country. They cannot show the smallest amount of class and leave their warped ideology/religion out of matters that should have nothing to do with their politics.

[happygrl]

As a lover of poetry, I am saddened that such a wonderful event has been nulified by this self-styled "poet." Mrs. Bush is a librarian. I hope she uses this skill to develop another list of poets to invite and reschedules this symposium. I'm gald she canceled this event. The people's House shouldn't have the atmosphere dirtied by hate speech.

[driftless]

In this land of free-enterprise, there is nothing stopping the Midas-rich liberal elite from sponsoring on prime-time tv a special show-casing these "genius" poemsters. And after they receive the lowest ratings since the inception of the ratings system, we'll never hear from them again, thank God.

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

Mr. Hamill is a tender fellow.

Now it was my turn to be "overcome by a kind of nausea."

A thread answered out of its own making .

There once was a man named Hamill
Who fancied the company of camels.
A war for freedom he protested.
His bile he forced others to ingest
As he seen himself a linguist.
He took pen in hand
And across the land.
He found people to sign
But in the end he will find.
Most people are not tender and limpwristed.

[dennisw]

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