What are your favourite list poems? In our creative writing sessions at Marsden Library, in advance of this Sunday's Write Out Loud Poetry Jam at the Jazz Festival (see news), we did some work on list poems, and it got me wondering if you have favourite list poems, or ones that use lists as a device (or excuse) for repetition to add power to the poem. I have posted a feature article about this on the home page, with a cracking example of Francesca Beard's and one of Hovis Presley's (both with video). I also cite Elizabeth Barrett Browning's How do I love thee?
Do you have favourite examples? Or do you want to a go at putting some list poems in the blogs?
I look forward to hearing from you.
Julian

Hi Julian

This has got to be one of the greatest ever. Now I know its a song but it's still a poem -


Summer, Buddy Holly, the working folly
Good golly Miss Molly and boats
Hammersmith Palais, the Bolshoi Ballet
Jump back in the alley and nanny goats

18-wheeler Scammels, Domenecker camels
All other mammals plus equal votes
Seeing Piccadilly, Fanny Smith and Willy
Being rather silly, and porridge oats

A bit of grin and bear it, a bit of come and share it
You're welcome, we can spare it - yellow socks
Too short to be haughty, too nutty to be naughty
Going on 40 - no electric shocks

The juice of the carrot, the smile of the parrot
A little drop of claret - anything that rocks
Elvis and Scotty, days when I ain't spotty,
Sitting on the potty - curing smallpox

Health service glasses
Gigolos and brasses
round or skinny bottoms

Take your mum to Paris
lighting up the chalice
Wee Willy Harris

Bantu Stephen Biko, listening to Rico
Harpo, Groucho, Chico

Cheddar cheese and pickle, the Vincent motorsickle
Slap and tickle
Woody Allen, Dali, Dimitri and Pasquale
balabalabala and Volare

Something nice to study, phoning up a buddy
Being in my nuddy
Saying hokey-dokey, Sing Along With Smokey
Coming out of chokey

John Coltrane's soprano, Adi Celentano
Bonar Colleano

Great subject for a discussion thread, Julian. For some reason I associate list poetry with 'emergant poetry' rather than mature poetry - probably because a lot of my early stuff was written in that format.

As you say, it seems too easy... just a question of hitting on some nice metaphors/similies...I look back on some of those poems now and cringe - even though one is framed and hung in the child's bedroom of a friend of mine.

Someone sent me the link to a hilarious poem that took the micky out of the 'I love you like...' kind of list poem. I've been trying to find it but can't. It was by someone like Billy Collins - very dry. Come one John Aikman, Darren Thomas, Alvin Guinnesberg - someone must remember it...

Well, I am not sure that Elizabeth Gravy Browning's 'how do I love thee' would be considered emergent, in fact not any kind of 'gent', but I digress.
I shall post my version or pastiche/pistache/pisstake of her poem on the blogs.
Francesca's poem is subtler than it appears, see the video.
You are not thinking of Hovis's one are you, I rely on you? For the two last see the news item on home page.

I like to play word games with the 'first line' index in poetry books. They can sometimes make wonderful poems in themselves and sometimes very surreal. But I would never commit to writing one down and calling it my own

My earlier comments were a bit flippant Julian - I expected you to take me to task - and I got of lightly, I think.

I very much enjoyed the link to Francesca's performance. As you say earlier, it all depends on the quality of the thought behind the list. There was so much to make you think in her poem. 'A home that is nothing more than an investment' stood out to me - along with the child that is the last ditch chance.

The poet I was talking about wasn't Hovis. I must remember to make a note of memorable poems cos my memory seems to be letting me down!

ECLIPSE by Pink Floyd is the final track on Dark Side of the Moon. It's a great end to an extraordinary album, but also a striking list poem in its own right.


All that you touch
And all that you see
All that you taste
All you feel
And all that you love
And all that you hate
All you distrust
All you save
And all that you give
And all that you deal
And all that you buy
Beg, borrow or steal
And all you create
And all you destroy
And all that you do
And all that you say
And all that you eat
And everyone you meet
And all that you slight
And everyone you fight
And all that is now
And all that is gone
And all that's to come
And everything under the sun is in tune
But the sun is eclipsed by the moon

i have to say i agree with you, Dave. The lyrics throughout most of floyd's stuff is brilliant, Eclipse, as you say is fantastic. Comfortably Numb, is genius!

I do think of Mr. Jones by the Counting Crows as a poem, long but excellently written.

How about Subterranean Homesick Blues by Bob Dylan. The video is done as a kind of list with the flash card idea.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_ujAXxNxU0
I'm a big fan of Counting Crows. Lyrics on Round Here and Rain King are wonderful. Not sure about Mr Jones as a list poem though, although it is excellent.

Found it! And I was introduced to it by Alvin Guinnessberg - so wish he'd come back to the site...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56Iq3PbSWZY

I'm not really a huge fan of 'list poems' or poets who continually disguise their 'poetry' with the equivalent of a false moustache and generous curly wig list. The example cited as 'striking' reinforces my belief that 'poetry lists' and 'poetry' cannot comfortably fill the same pair of poetic heavyweight trousers.

There are exceptions - but they're rare.

Do poets always have to wear heavyweight trousers? Can't they wear light slacks sometimes, or shorts when it's hot? My favourite list poem is:

Nothing In That Drawer

Nothing in that drawer
Nothing in that drawer
Nothing in that drawer
Nothing in that drawer
Nothing in that drawer
Nothing in that drawer
Nothing in that drawer
Nothing in that drawer
Nothing in that drawer
Nothing in that drawer
Nothing in that drawer
Nothing in that drawer
Nothing in that drawer
Nothing in that drawer
Nothing in that drawer

by Ron Padgett.

Steven, I needed a huge laugh today. I'm still chortling with jumpy fingers. Brilliant example, bloomin' ingenious.