“The Rhyme of the Ancient Middle Class”
The Rhyme of the Ancient Middle Class
First of all why would my title “The Rhyme of the Ancient Middle Class” use rhyme instead of rime as the original classic by Coleridge? The theme of this collection began to see the light when I tried my hand at imitation.
Consequently I included in my writing regiment an imitation of a poem that I found great. The challenge was to make it my own and not insult the original. Therefore I used this practice to learn how poets I admired were able to use rhythm and meter in their poems.
After scanning “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” and copying the meter and rhyme scheme into my notebook, I gave it a try.
Unable to fit my story into the original meter and rhyme scheme the poem evolved into its own common Ballad. The result was a story of a lost generation trying to examine the path that led to their economic ruin.
As a result I began to collect poems that communicated my feelings on current affairs in America. Changes are occurring in America and we are feeling the riptide. I tried to capture this feeling of hopelessness one feels when cast upon the waves.
American
Somewhere a vague nagging restlessness,
a backache of the soul, these blue movements
powered by a burst of energy, nest
alone in cramped nest, after discharge
from the shelter where pipes leaked, large
bodies of water never at rest.
An enduring, non-progressing, life,
to feel a contraction of our strife,
these are the lies that foster panic,
a physical effect of atrophy,
loss of our strength through hypocrisy,
immobilized yet not less frantic.
Made it through an American Winter,
huddled in an American shelter.
From “The Rhyme of the Ancient Middle Class”
I broke the book into six sections.
“There seems to be a disconnect between how policy can either disrupt or balance the daily routines of many lives. Policy that I hope to see argued through the arts. Arguments towards a strong public education system, research and development on ways to strengthen our communities, and more options to help create interpersonal ties.
We have the illumination of the LGBT as a force to sway political decisions, further movement in the cause of Women, and a revival of a lost civil rights movement that needed to be brought back to the surface more sooner than later. We have seen and felt our vast disparity in incomes and a greater difficulty with the middle classes ability to thrive.” From the Introduction to “The Rhyme of the Ancient Middle Class.”
The second section is a glimpse into a journey of the American Experience through eyes of poverty stricken Americans.
- Poems for the Chaos
- Friend Ballads and Bukowski
An “Ode to the Beat Poets” is a grateful thanks to all the Beat Poets whose poetry has become a part of my daily existence.
- Trying to Write a Poem on a Never Ending Scroll
- What follows are poems of enlightenment ending with a collections of sonnets I call “Sonnet Politic.”
This is a story of America. I hope that you enjoy reading “The Rhyme of the Ancient Middle Class.” To purchase a copy go to: https://www.amazon.com/Rhyme-Ancient-Middle-Class-Political/dp/197817196X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1514833499&sr=8-1&keywords=Jamie+Lee+Hamann
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Congrats Jamie, and very well presented. Hope you sell heaps my friend. Cheers!
Congratulations, Jamie. Well done. Best wishes for great success.