April has been National Poetry Month for quite some time now and in some ways,it's a perfect match-up. Spring is a good time for poems(it's certainly inspired many of them)and with love being a trending topic in both this season and this artistic form of expression,this monthly theme has the pleasing cadence of a well rhymed yet hopefully not too raunchy limerick.
Poetry's popularity in the pop culture realm comes and goes,but is never truly forgotten. It does tend to show up in the oddest places and strangest ways,which proves just how flexible the format has become over time.
As a tribute to the lasting resilience of this art form and for the general amusement of all,here's a set of offbeat poetry moments found both on film and TV which will hopefully amuse,charm and maybe challenge some of your preconceived notions about just how relevant it is to your life.
First up,Mike Myers expresses his love troubles via beatnik style recitations in his 1993 attempt at romance comedy,So I Married an Axe Murderer. The impact of the poems are hit or miss(much like the rest of jokes in the movie)but at least Mike's character is honest enough to admit when his lyrical stylings are less than successful:
Speaking of beatniks,Mad Men's Don Draper has had a bit of exposure to the counter culture from his illicit romantic romps but even he couldn't shake off the impact of poetry during more than one crisis situation. For a bit of unusual comfort,Frank O'Hara's Meditations in an Emergency not only suited Don's struggles but those of his fellow Sterling Cooper cohorts as well:
Poetry is not always pretty,folks. In an episode of Legend of the Seeker this season, former Mord Sith Cara had to impersonate a princess in order to rescue one of her traveling companions and part of that playacting required her to speak in rhyming meter.
Such dainty mannerisms didn't come naturally to this rough and tumble gal but when an opportunity arose to showcase her verbal skills,Cara managed to make her basic instincts work to her advantage:
Cara can commensurate with another tough cookie who had to reveal her softer side via poetry,Darlene,the mopey middle child from Roseanne. Darlene possessed excellent snarking skills that at times rivaled even her mother's crudely caustic wit but even she couldn't hide her true heart when called upon to recite her own poem at school,no matter how much she wished to:
Back to love,poetry can talk about it in all sizes and shapes and not just for significant others. It can also show a friend or family member the depths of your feelings towards them,which comes in real handy for special occasions such as this lovely moment from In Her Shoes,where younger sister Maggie gives her older sibling Rose a sincerely sweet blessing on her wedding day:
I will confess that poetry is not a instant literary go-to for me,yet I do admire the beauty of well placed words that string together inner thoughts in lovely lines and give them an elegant setting for them to sparkle and shine. Perhaps poetry and pop culture have more in common than not,so maybe it will crop up more often in the days beyond it's official moment in the artistic sun. At the very least,lovers will certainly keep poetry alive even if it's only a means to express their regret:
oh wow. i had not seen the axe murderer video on youtube. still makes me laugh. thanks!
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