Hal Sirowitz Said

We got a late start on November here at Poets Online because of Hurricane Sandy and a follow up nor'easter that played games with our power, so we have a new brief prompt for this abbreviated month.

Hal Sirowitz is one of the funniest poets I have ever heard read. There is something about his deadpan, Steven Wright delivery that makes his monologue poems sound like stand up routines.

Sons

We�re Jewish, Father said.
So we don�t believe in Christ.
If God wanted us to worship Jesus
he would have arranged for us to be born
into an Italian family. I have nothing
against Him. He was probably a very nice man.
You have to give Him credit for trying.
A lot of people still believe He�s the Son of God.
I don�t know what He had against His real father.
But if you ever did that to me,
said you were someone else�s son, I�d be insulted.

Many people know him best for his three "said" books - Mother Said, My Therapist Said and Father Said . In poems like "Red, Red Bra" and others, he gives us monologues that are full of irony, humor and Sirowitz.

A simple prompt: a poem that is all monologue. Mother said, father said, therapist, teacher, lover, wife, husband - it's your call.

Submission deadline: Sunday, December 2, 2012



                Hal Sirowitz - "Chopped Off Arm"