Poem of the Week: 8.3.23
"Persuasive Essay" by Ricky Novaes de Oliveira
PERSAUSIVE ESSAY
by Ricky Novaes de Oliveira
Antagonistic liberties,
emotive catachresis,
paranormal oppression:
depressive anachronism.
In this
essay, I
will argue
very verbosely
Self-referential study:
borrowed egalitarianism
Systemic solutions:
quixotic quicksand
Existential jazz:
ubiquitous unconscious.
Rita Brier
hiply gait
Recursive analyzation:
say something!
Generative foolery.
Hypothetical realization
careful curation
sudden glance
too late.
Another meeting:
“Stronger thesis.”
“Unpack idealism.”
Theoretical bull.
Restraining degradation
sublime superimposed,
idgaf effervescence.
Got mugged
last night
it’s whatever.
Anyway, tonight
I’ll have
another round
Constant cyclicality:
always at-least
Ingratiate vulnerability:
tiptoe skepticism
Online dictionary:
deontological deferral
Ah, yes.
Teeter transcendence,
monks on
the quad
hanging chad.
Fraternal apologetic.
Relative empyrean:
Snooze button.
Willfully ignorant nihilism—
Oops.
Absent absolutism.
Whying defiant.
Etic extemporaneity.
Body language.
Thus, ergo,
In conclusion,
I am
done now.
Read by the poet:
(Messed up on some of those words lol but too tired to rerecord it so enjoy.)
This poem is an “attempt to make concepts somehow matter.”
My undergrad thesis advisor wrote that about my poetry when recommending my work for departmental recognition. In fact, she wrote an entire letter dissecting my creative thesis project, which was extremely eye-opening. I had spent years studying under my advisor, writing and rewriting and editing and starting over again and again, to finally end up with a final product worthy of a BA. Teachers have a way of sticking in your head long after their class is over, and my advisor’s words are still guiding lights for how I structure and edit my writing.
Here’s part of what was written in that letter, which partially highlighted this week’s poem.
His poem “Persuasive Essay” shows his hand also as a Political Science major…the language of ideology and critical theory form this incredible labyrinth of thought-images that don’t quite metabolize, and aren’t quite seeable. It is a gorgeous litter of language and I think this is where Ricky is at his best, in his attempt to make concepts somehow matter. As debris, sometimes, but they have their shimmer.
Kind words. And enough said.
Very verbosely, Ricky
