Elizabeth Alexander?

While many have maybe come to the conclusion that the history book is closed on the Obama administration and the narrative went something like this: "Progressive Ideals Betrayed, Politics as Usual, Banal Centrism, What a Phony," I for one am of the opinion that we ought to actually wait for there to BE an Obama administration before we start passing judgement on what an abysmal failure it was.

That having been said there is one decision made by the president to date that I think does bear some pretty harsh criticism, and that's the selection of Elizabeth Alexander as the author of the inaugural poem.

Now, if you're like me you aren't super accustomed to hear the naming of a poet for a major job like that and thinking to yourself "who the fuck is that?" So imagine my surprise as I was reading various op ed pieces on the selection of Rick Warren as the Invoker of the ceremony (whose counterbalance in Joseph Lowery chronologically later in the series of events I read as a subtle idictment of Warren's cro magnon ideas), when I discovered that none other than eminent scholar Elizabeth Alexander who I've never heard of is going to be writing and reading a poem to commemorate the occasion.

Now if, like me, you've never heard of Elizabeth Alexander, that's not really surprising. After all, her biggest laurel to date is a nomination for the Pulitzer. Which, as poetry laurels go, practically guarantees that she's not of any real note. Of course, it's clear to me at this point that her selection probably has more to do with the fact that she's reportedly a "close family friend" of the Obamas than her books. Never the less, given that she's now stepping into the footsteps of such luminaries as Robert Frost and Maya Angelou, both of whom I have no patience for, I'd like to take a moment to reflect on just what it means to be a good poet in America today.

Take the moment.

Have you come up with anything?

Me neither.

Now granted there are any number of Brilliant poets who could have been selected. If I had my druthers on this one I'd probably pick somebody like John Giorno or Anne Waldman. But those are apolitical choices that have to do with the kind of poetical performance I like to see. If I wanted to really fire the audience up and give us some grand spectacle well why not one of the fiery preachers of slam poetry? Would not Buddy Wakefield, Rachel McKibbens, Jeremy Richards, or Anis Mojgani make for an excellent poet to help inaugurate Obama? Or if you'd like to tickle the avant garde impulse a litte, what about a poet working to expand the genre like Bob Grumman, Jessica Smith, or Jim Andrews? And alright sure, so those are all people I know so I'd be just as guilty of Obama style nepotism, but even that said, supposing some stentorian literary academic whose racial background gave them a unique perspective on the historic election of an African American were what was called for, what about a luminary such as Nathaniel Mackey, Rita Dove, Yusef Komunyakaa or Harryette Mullen?

Now granted, one can't determine a presidency by it's poet. Or can you? Robert Frost for Kennedy, lots of glitz and stirring end rhyme with a seedy underbelly and a lack of much substance? check. Maya Angelou for Clinton, lame pandering to the masses and a seeming unwillingness to look beyond the ego of the poet? check. I guess it remains to be seen exactly what sort of poet and president this combination will bring us. I just hope Alexander isn't as mediocre as she seems at first glance.