MADreads

Bad poetry is more fun

May 28th, 2009 Dennis - Central

I’m not usually a poetry reader.  But something about the title (maybe the subtitle?) for Andrew Hudgin’s newest volume of verse made me curious enough to give it a try.  That title is Shut Up, You’re Fine : Poems for Very, Very Bad Children, a volume of humorous verse, by Hudgins with drawings by Barry Moser. Trust me, there’s not a love poem to be found. And these poems probably aren’t suitable for children.

The poems are all written from the point-of-view of a (mostly) pre-pubescent child, capturing moments in a child’s world from that skewed perspective that an adult could only laugh at, when that adult isn’t cringing from discomfort. Poems are all over the place, from a young adolescent being slapped around by his parents for having become such a disappointing young thug, to a youngster who speculates on why his parents spend so much time looking for him in their bedroom when he plays hide-and-seek with them, to a younger brother celebrating his advantage over his sister when he finds her stash of drugs hidden in her bra, to various and fascinating contemplations of aging grandparents.

Barry Moser’s art doesn’t appear with each poem, which is something of a shame, since it’s pretty entertaining itself. They do add something to the text, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it charm.

Life, death, family, sexuality– all the big themes are touched upon, just not in a very enlightened way. I’m pretty sure the term “doggerel” was invented for poems like these but don’t let that stop you– there’s plenty here to enjoy if your taste in poetry isn’t too refined. At least it rhymes, usually. Just be prepared for more than a few moments when you find yourself going “Eww!” while suppressing a laugh.

Too bad I just missed National Poetry Month. But I’ll be all set for next year…

Entry Filed under: Nonfiction, Poetry