Crime has long been a subject for poetry. In ancient Greece,
Homer wrote about the Erinyes, goddesses assigned to avenge crimes such as homicide and disrespect of the elder
generation. Hercules was given mighty tasks to accomplish to amend for the fact
that he had killed his own children.
When Mother read nursery rhymes to me, I knew “Tom, Tom, the
Piper’s son” was a criminal—he stole a pig. On the other hand, “Peter, Peter,
Pumpkin Eater” was just a nonsense rhyme. Now, though, I wonder if it is a
metaphor for domestic violence.
Students of English poetry can point out such notable
examples of crime poetry as “The Ring and the Book” by Robert Browning, “Murder in the
Cathedral” by T. S. Eliot, and “Killers” by Carl Sandburg. My grandmother, who
loved Zane Grey Westerns often recited “Lasca” by Frank Desprez.
“Lasca” could be termed a condensed Western novel—it has great drama and
excitement—and homicide.
The website, The
5-2 Crime Poetry Weekly publishes a “crime poem” each week during the year. The editor and
publisher, Gerald So, gathers the year’s 52 poems into a chapbook. You can
access 5-2 Crime Poetry Weekly at http://poemsoncrime.blogspot.com/. To read the poems, click on “Poem of the Week” in the “Checklist”
on the right side of the screen. Keep clicking on “older posts” when you get to
the bottom of the page if you wish to continue reading.
The 5-2 Crime Poetry Weekly has a
fairly broad definition of crime poetry. Toby Speed’s poem, “Morning Report,”
posted on November 4, 2013 tells us the Department of
Children and Family Services (or whatever it is called in her state) has deemed
the old woman who lived in the shoe to be a neglectful parent. In “Sheriff
Andy Taylor,” posted August 27, 2013, David S. Pointer explains why the sheriff
of Mayberry (on the Andy Griffith show) succeeded in keeping the peace.
“I Hope That’s Pepperoni” by Catfish McDaris,” posted
October 3, 2011, is a humorous poem. The set-up includes a murder back in the
1930s, a child’s reaction, a practical joke suitable for April Fools’ Day, and
. . . well, I invite you read it yourself.
Kathleen Shaw’s poem, “Stranger,” is a reflection on
paranoia. The poem for the current week, "Sermon Notes" by Randall Compton takes the perspective that the “prosperity gospel” is
criminal, or as he puts it in his comment on the poem, “serial deceit and
distortion.”
Some of the poems on The 5-2 Crime Poetry
Weekly are serious reflections on horrendous crimes. In the March 24 poem, “For
Newtown,” Rachel Lynn McGuire invites us to light candles and bring flowers for
the crying mothers of Newtown. The 1998 murder of Kali Manley is the subject of
“On the Day a Fourteen-Year-old
Disappeared in Ojai, California.” The killing of Trayvon Martin, and the jury
decision to free George Zimmerman inspired Robert Cooperman to write “The Demon
Hoodie,” a poem posted on January 13 of this year. It is written from the point of view of
the hoodie, which is “the opposite of a cloak of invisibility.”
February 3, 2013 is the posting date for an interesting poem
by Elizabeth Lash:
In Memoriam: Ex-KGB Agent Complains of Mysterious Toxin
in His Veins
I, Sasha,
Am in the bar finding traces of love in my veins,
and I am warm, falling...
recalling shot after shot—sounds of Russian drinking songs ring in my
Am in the bar finding traces of love in my veins,
and I am warm, falling...
recalling shot after shot—sounds of Russian drinking songs ring in my
head.
Waking, I found nurses in squeaky soled shoes who surrounded me,
injecting shot after shot to keep the poison at bay.
It was not traces of love I found in my veins...
but traces of death in my soul.
They say you'll know when they come,
but they came silently, in the guise of brotherhood.
I thought a few drinks at a bar would harm no one.
I was no longer a traitor—let bygones be bygones.
Drink and forget what could poison the evening.
Well, this was how the Bureau always said its good-byes. I'm not surprised
Waking, I found nurses in squeaky soled shoes who surrounded me,
injecting shot after shot to keep the poison at bay.
It was not traces of love I found in my veins...
but traces of death in my soul.
They say you'll know when they come,
but they came silently, in the guise of brotherhood.
I thought a few drinks at a bar would harm no one.
I was no longer a traitor—let bygones be bygones.
Drink and forget what could poison the evening.
Well, this was how the Bureau always said its good-byes. I'm not surprised
in the end.
Good-bye wife. Good-bye, comrades.
Farewell my love—
my jealous mother Russia.
And with a sigh,
I give up the fight.
Good-bye wife. Good-bye, comrades.
Farewell my love—
my jealous mother Russia.
And with a sigh,
I give up the fight.
~ Elizabeth Lash
This persona poem was inspired by
the death of Alexander Litvinenko. The poet had spent some time in Russia, and
says she was “in some ways not surprised” by the news of his death. She was
already aware that things had not changed as much in Russia as most of us
thought.
Litvinenko accused
Russian secret service agents of staging acts of terrorism in order to bring
Vladimir Putin to power. He also accused Putin of ordering the death of the
journalist Anna Polikovskaya. Litvinenko was
poisoned in London. British authorities concluded his likely killer was Andrey
Lugovoy, but the Russian government refused to extradite him for trial in the
United Kingdom. Lash pictures Litvinenko still loving his “jealous
mother Russia,” knowing his death is just the way things works there.
The
April Poetry Challenge
The April Poetry Challenge is to write a crime poem. It can be about an actual
crime; about something that you think is criminal, even if it is legal; crime
in the movies, on television, video games, nursery rhymes, folk tales or other literature (include a note in case
the judge isn’t familiar with your source of inspiration); or paranoia, suspicion, guilt or other psychological
states related to crime. The poem can be humorous, if humor is appropriate (actual
homicide is not humorous). If you have a different idea, feel free to email me
to ask if it fits the definition.
Your poem can be free verse or
formal. If you use a form, please specify it.
Submit only one poem.
The deadline is April 15. Poems
submitted after the April 15 deadline will not be considered. There is no
charge to enter, so there are no monetary rewards; however winners are
published on this blog.
Copyright on each
poem is retained by the poet.
Poems published in
books or on the Internet (including Facebook and other on-line social networks)
are not eligible. If you poem has been published in a periodical, you may
submit it if you retain copyright, but please include publication data.
How to
Submit Your Poem:
Send one poem only to wildamorris[at]ameritech[dot]net (substitute the @ sign for “at” and a . for “dot”. Be sure to provide your e-mail address. Include a brief bio which can be printed with your poem, if you are a winner this month.
Send one poem only to wildamorris[at]ameritech[dot]net (substitute the @ sign for “at” and a . for “dot”. Be sure to provide your e-mail address. Include a brief bio which can be printed with your poem, if you are a winner this month.
Submission
of a poem gives permission for the poem to be posted on the blog if it is a
winner, so be sure that you put your name, exactly as you would like it to
appear if you do win, at the end of
the poem. Poems may be pasted into an email or sent as an attachment. Please do
not indent the poem or center it on the page. It helps if you submit the poem
in the format used on the blog (Title and poem left-justified; title in bold,
and not all in capital letters; your name at the bottom of the poem). Also,
please do not use spaces instead of commas in the middle of lines. I have no
problem with poets using that technique; I sometimes do it myself. However I
have difficulty getting the blog to accept and maintain extra spaces.
And Remember: The January challenge is still open, and will be until there are a few more submissions. Check the January post for complete rules.
