With one prominent dissenter (i.e. Peter John Ross), "Studying Savonarola, he considers his lover as kindling" would likely be the consensus choice as best poem of this century. Not bad for a first draft! That's right. As with so many of the poems in her collection, "Studying Savonarola" was posted to the Gazebo workshop on Thursday, October 27, 2005 and, to our knowledge, not revised.I agree that it is the best free verse poem of these last twelve years, and don't argue with those who regard it as the greatest non-metrical effort since T.S. Eliot's "The Hollow Men" (1925). No, this isn't hyperbole and, if you know anything about me, you know I don't engage in blurbing.
I can't add much to the technical analysis found here except that the poem has considerable performance value. Indeed, I'd love to see a performance worthy of the material. This breathtaking love story between two men separated by five centuries, an ocean and most of a continent can be presented as anything from demure to downright raunchy. It is the signature piece of Margaret A. Griffiths, who had been voted the poet 133 tough critics would most want to read seven months before she wrote this masterpiece. If T.S. Eliot had been cited as the best poet of his time before "Prufrock" would we debate who was the greatest poet of the 20th century?
The story of how her posthumous collection came into being is, itself, worth the price of "Grasshopper: The Poetry of M.A. Griffiths". At this point in time, it is the only contemporary poetry compendium that I recommend without reservation. Poets seeking a role model need look no further. "Maz", as she was known, set a standard as a critic, poet, wit and spokeswoman that few others will attain. As one pundit put it: "Those not envious of Maz have the most reason to be."
Next: "Beans" by D.P. Kristalo
- "Studying Savonarola" by Margaret A. Griffiths
- "Beans" by D. P. Kristalo
- "Antiblurb" by A. E. Stallings
- "How Aimée remembers Jaguar" by Erin Hopson
- "There Are Sunflowers in Italy" by Didi Menendez
- "Auditing the Heart" by Frank Matagrano
