Read the poems for March 30, 2014 by scrolling down to “Day 30/Poems 30” and then by alphabetical order by name to Butterfly Effect / by John C. Mannone
Backstory to “Butterfly Effect”:
From a post in my virtual American Zoetrope office, a friend had asked me about prayer. I tried to formulate an answer via poetry, because that’s what poetry is good at—expressing the inexpressible, or in this case, trying to answer the unanswerable.
This poem takes many risks and I am certain I was unsuccessful in finessing some of the verses. I risk moralizing, preaching, didactic work, homily… you name it. Like I said, a lot of risks.
I think the poem is successful when I was able to use metaphor. So I post this poem, my last poem to the Tupelo Press 30/30 Project as an experiment. I think I show what not to do, as well as what one might do in dealing with such difficult, abstract topics.
As usual, I try to enjamb lines, if not even whole stanzas…anything to try to lift this piece into poetry.
In any case, I hope you enjoy it.
John C. Mannone: The Art of Poetry 