As I was going up the stair
I met a man who wasn't there.
He wasn't there again today -
Oh! how I wish he'd go away!
author unknown
Continuing in the series of poems from my son's nursery rhyme book, this is a great lyric example of absurdist verse. It presents an idea that defies reason but seems reasonable at the same time.
I think the truly absurd is not that which seems totally fantastic but that which fools us into thinking it may be reasonable and frustrates us in our search for reason.
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absurdism
ozymandias
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So whose book is it you son or yours? absurdism begins at home?
Opps I did mean "yours or your sons?"
Can comments be spell checked or re edited by the one who submits them?
It is my son's and contains all of the regular rhymes like 'humpty dumpty' but also contains a lot of other stuff also.
Some great lyric poems by Robert Louise Stevenson which I now have made up tunes to and sing to him.
I will add more.
I think the poster of a comment can delete it but I don't think they can be edited or spellchecked.
Absurdism begin at gnome.
Is it possible that you are mistaking symbolism for absurdity (in regards to this poem)?
Just because the poem says the man wasn't there doesn't mean he was literally not there, perhaps the man is insane? perhaps he is in a coma, depressed, perhaps he is not the man he was....
I guess that is another way to look at it. A little psychodrama, if you will.
Hmm..kinda reminds me of Dennis Lee poetry I remember from when I was a kid...
I should check out Dennis Lee, I like this absurd stuff
mmm..yes, there's also Shel Silverstein, writes similar stuff.
Alan, you should try heroin, everything seems absurd when on heroin...
Life is a turd and not absurd when you are chasing the white dragon!
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