Learning From Poetry

For my poem, I chose "I Know I'm Not Sufficiently Obscure" by Ray Durem.
The poem itself looks into the darker side of poetry and pointedly offers another view of this thing we call poetry. It makes an offensive stand against conventional poetry. It would seem that this stand against conventional poetry, is also a stand against conventional government. Ray Durem was of mixed heritage, but was part African American. He was known for his views against racism, and the U.S. governments policies. His work attracted author Langston Hughes, and many still see him as a man who stood up for the rights of all, specifically the African American community.

When I first read the poem, I did not even know that Durem was of African American descent, but I did agree with his views on how they were treated. In the poem he makes at least 2 references to African Americans and the lives they lead. He refererences the apathy that others have to the problem. He seems to be angry that no one else has acknowledged these problem in the literary world. So, in essense he stands up against everyone else and says. "Yes, this is a poem. No, I dont think it will get much attention. No, its not very sweet. It doesnt sugar-coat, or mislead. But it does tell you what the problem is. He points out the problems not only in society, but in literature and academia.

I absolutely love this. I stand behind anyone who is not afraid to point out the truth behind the lies of man. Men hide what is not pretty, as to pretend that all is well. Well, all is not well. Not everything is pretty. Not everything fits. Some things, are not ment to be pretty. Some things in life dont fit. But that does not mean that they are not worthy of telling. Durem stands up and tells the things no one wants to hear. And he does it in a poetic way that may not have pleased the critics of the time, but pleased my ears to hear. I love this poem, and it speaks to me in a personal way. Not because Im an african American, in a racist, changing America, but because I'm a non-conforming, unconventionalist, trapped in a stubborn, dogmatic society. I believe that

I were alive during those times, I would have stood by his side, and cavaliered the cause.

http://www.blackpast.org/?q=aah/durem-ramon-1915-1963