Point of View by Shel Silverstein

Shel Silverstein is a multitalented artist with credits as poet, musician, cartoonist and children's book author. Silverstein sold over 20 million books that were translated into over 20 languages. Born in 1930, he summarizes the broad reaching ideals of animal rights and personal perspectives into three free-verse stanzas. Quick, catchy phrases for turkeys, chicken, duck, pork, lobster and lamb have a similar rhythm reminiscent of slogans.

The second and fourth line rhyme, while the first and third lines never rhyme. Repetition seems like a rhyming poem; however, it is free-verse. This is often the challenging portion of writing free-verse. When people lose poetic aspects, it appears they wrote a short story and placed breaks between words so it looks like a poem. Anyone interested in writing free-verse should study poetry to gain a better understanding this specific type of poetry.

Repetition of an inert thought assists in solidifying one concise statement, "We live because an animal died." The point-of-view between eating and eaten provides a clear metaphor of how differently people view similar events. An aggressor and victim, winner and loser asserts the point of seeing "truth" of events or facts separately.

Oh how I once loved tuna salad
Pork and lobsters, lamb chops too
Till I stopped and looked at dinner
From the dinner's point of view.

Though many people believe poems must rhyme to be considered poetry the contemporary movement, highlighted by Langston Hughes, is an extension of blues and gospel music. Therefore, rhythms should be identifiable. Repetition of points is another method of lyrical writing, however, unnecessary in the growing field of poetry.

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