“Prophet”

Dennis, Carl. “Prophet.” Practical Gods. New York: Penguin Poets, 2001, 16.

The tone of this poem is didactic and more than a little condescending. It’s as if the speaker is the all-knowing on how to be a prophet and cannot keep from sharing his knowledge. “You’ll never be much…” are the first four words of the poem. There is a sense of prophesy, “you’ll land…” and “you’ll have to…” and “you’ll be…” It’s almost as if the speaker wants the wanna-be prophet to think like Jonah in the whale, making comparisons of journeys by whale and donkey. There is no kindness in this poem, only stern words of how it’s going to be. And yet…yet, I liked it.

BookLust Twist: From More Book Lust in the chapter, “Poetry Pleasers” (p 188).