Daniel Henry Rodgers Poet Lyric

Notes About The Poem

 

“Modern poetry is…
the end product of romanticism,
all past and no future;
it is impossible to go further by any extrapolation
of the process by which we have arrived.”
- Randall Jarrell

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“Poets arguing about modern poetry:
jackals snarling over a dried-up well.”
- Cyril Connolly

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“The reason modern poetry is difficult is so
that the poet’s wife cannot understand it.”
- Wendy Cope

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Martin OM-45 Deluxe in the Corner

poems become
interchangeable

remove
the image

the poem
remains

when synapses
misfire
identity 
disperses

before death
arrives

when the hands
forget
the song

the Martin
OM-45 Deluxe

inscribed in spruce
and mother-of-pearl

the third fret
worn smooth
by G

an archive
of vanished
movements

most poems
observe

others collect
surfaces

fallen leaves
frozen ponds
abandoned chapels

secondhand
transcendence

rehearsed
astonishment

mistaking
recognition
for revelation

few descend

into
distressed
consciousness

where nothing
remains
clean

is messier

no idle
observations

consciousness
a spiral
of repitition

residue—

not the subject

only the
substitution

the mosquito
bite
of fungibility

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Paige Hind July 21, 2026 at 8:26 PM Woah, complicated, but always a meaning, meaning, no, meaning....lol Daniel Henry Rodgers July 24, 2026 at 7:08 AM Dear Paige, Your reaction made me smile. Even in the complication, you always find the thread of meaning, or the humor in chasing it. Thank you for reading with such openness. Blessings, Daniel

Alison A Smith July 21, 2026 at 7:07 PM Sometimes I read a poem and wonder where to me true poetry has gone. This short lined verse not only explains but puts it back into new. Daniel Henry Rodgers July 24, 2026 at 7:08 AM Dear Alison, Your comment is deeply appreciated. Short-lined lyric work can feel stripped down, but sometimes that’s where the pulse of poetry returns. I’m grateful this piece spoke to you in that way. Blessings, Daniel

Andrea Dietrich July 21, 2026 at 2:57 PM You always go deep. Gosh I never even heard of OM-45! I have to say I really love this style of poetry with the short lines. I am seeing it more and more around here. It makes a poem like this one all the cooler Daniel Henry Rodgers July 24, 2026 at 7:09 AM Dear Andrea, Thank you for this thoughtful read. The OM-45 is a beautiful instrument with its own quiet mythology, and I’m glad the short-line form resonated with you. It’s a style that lets the poem breathe differently. Blessings, Daniel

Paula Goldsmith July 21, 2026 at 1:09 PM This was a fun read. Great quotes... Great Picture... Music touches the soul. On Sat, a class I took was about poems with music. The two can/do go together. Have a fun day writing away.......... Daniel Henry Rodgers July 24, 2026 at 7:10 AM Dear Paula, I’m glad this one felt fun to read. Music and poetry really do share a spine, both touching the soul in ways we don’t always expect. Wishing you a wonderful day of writing and listening. Blessings, Daniel

Kim Rodrigues July 21, 2026 at 8:57 AM The main point being the metaphor of the the Martin OM-45 Deluxe! Mixing the old and new, romantic and modern, new perspectives, new poets, etc.. etc.. (as the King of Siam loved to say) ;) Daniel Henry Rodgers July 24, 2026 at 7:11 AM Dear Kim, You captured the metaphor perfectly, the guitar as the hinge between eras, voices, and ways of seeing. Old and new, romantic and modern, all folded into one object. Thank you for this lively reflection. Blessings, Daniel