We Know There Are

We know there are poets and poetasters and poetry and doggerel And we know some great poets lived and died hungry and life for them was Earthly Hell And one of them James Clarence Mangan perhaps he was old Ireland's best Though a successful life he did not lead his poetry does stand the time test. We hear of poets major and minor suppose all not born to be great Yet in Helpston a Village in England John Clare the one they celebrate He died poor in a mental asylum who would wish on one such a fate Nowadays he's known Worldwide and famous but fame for him came far too late. Some poets are referred to as rhymers as if poetry is superior to song To the music in the words of Burns humanity does sing along The one referred to as the Ayrshire Ploughboy destined to become Scotland's pride His songs and poems sung and recited far distant from his home countryside. We know about poets and poetasters tell us something we do not know And we know that the literary critics succeeded in dismissing rhyme as bad poetry going back a few decades ago But rhyme it is married to music and rhyme it will always live on And poetry it is of the people and not of the literary don.