Saturday, July 16, 2011

Desert Island Poets

Portrait of Samuel Taylor Coleridge by Robert Hancock

Co-worker #1: If you were stranded on a deserted island, what poet would you want to be stranded with?

Co-worker #2: A hot one.

Co-worker #1: Like Sylvia Plath.

Co-worker #2: Is that an oven joke? Too soon.

Co-worker #3 (rolling her eyes): Poets are completely impractical. They'd be terrible company on a deserted island.

Co-worker #2: That's true. Imagine being stuck with Emily Dickinson.

Co-worker #3: She'd pray a lot and would not like being outside.

Co-worker #1: Seriously, though... I'd pick Bukowski. He'd be a good time, at least.

Co-worker #2: I feel like he'd try to make some moves.

Co-worker #3: If it's just the two of you on that island there's bound to be some moves.

Co-worker #2: I'd go with Coleridge. Impractical, yes. But the opium!

Co-worker #3: Maybe I'd want to be stranded with William Carlos Williams. He was a doctor.

Co-worker #2: Gary Snyder also wouldn't be a bad choice. He's got backcountry experience. And we could meditate together.

Co-worker #1: I'm sticking with Bukowski. Or Han-shan, for practical reasons.

4 comments:

kpr said...

Get back to work, all of you!

Spiros said...

So, this is what you talk about in receiving when you aren't spouting Billingsgate, is it?

S. said...

Are you referring to the Billingsgate Fish Market, Spiros?

Spiros said...

Ask Josie.