Poetry by Ollie Shane

​Anton Vakulenko CC


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“I’m told that sonnets are the pinnacle of the western canon” 

I’m told that sonnets are the pinnacle of the western canon, without nuance. That class was ok; I only took it because it fulfilled my major requirements. In an English class I’d taken the previous spring, we’d have lengthy discussions regarding the canon, lean into art as destruction, it changed me as a poet, but you already know that. How it makes you dependent on its poisoned milk. How the canon has subjugated millions, a relic of an empire left amongst Wordsworth’s dancing daffodils. It makes machinery for us all. Any arguments for its classification purposes is bullshit. Poetry is an irrational thing, regardless of the existence of mfas. There’s some unequal magic in who gets taught. What is said/praised. Fuck the canon: it is a mangy dog that has outlived its usefulness. You can find so many flowers off the beaten path.

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Ollie Shane (they/them) is a poet hailing from the East Coast. You can find their work on Twitter @AbigailShane17.