[Kevin J MacLellan]

I had a thought about poetry in praise of the captain of flight 1589, who safely landed a jumbo jet in the Hudson river on January 15th. (An interview with the hero, broadcast on '60 Minutes', tells all we need to know about the man and the inadequacy of the media in facing a true hero.)
I'm thinking of "Public Poetry" as a species of poetry, something different from published-and, thereby, made public-poetry, or poetry written as a personal testament inspired by some public occasion or other. Rather, a species of poem which speaks in praise of some person or group as if for the public . The question begins with the obvious: Is there such a bird? and, Will it fly?
I'm curious as to what others think of this.

[Michael Cantor]

Kevin -

As a matter of practical Sphere etiquette, we don't put up our own poetry on General Talk for notice and admiration, or some of us would do little else all day. If you want to wave this around, post it on one of the Criticism Forums. (But I have to tell you that my personal reaction is that it is dreadful.)

You could also start a thread on Drills & Amusements, although I should warn you that most of those tend to be humorous, and I don't believe that was your intent.

Finally, I should point out that (a) it wasn't a jumbo jet, and (b) the Captain's name was Chesley Sullenberger III, not "Solly" Sollenburg.

[Stephen Collington]

Silly old soggy old slip-slidin' Sully bold,
ditched in the Hudson, what else could he do?
Birds in both engines (a bind indissoluble)
"Brace!" he exclaimed and then bunged in the stew.

By the way Kevin, it's Chelsey Sullenberger, not Sollenberg. Might help to get that part right.

p.s. Whoops. Michael, we cross-posted. Kevin, everything Michael said. Including the bit about fooling around. (Sorry Michael, but I couldn't resist.)

[Mark Allinson]

First, I agree with what Michael says.

And second, I agree with Stephen: "what else could he do?"

In the situation he found himself in, there really wasn't another option available.

So I don't think the "hero" thing is warranted here.

But he certainly deserves praise for the way he eased the aircraft onto the river without it breaking up. The absence of waves certainly helped a lot.

But basically, he was just doing what he had to do in that circumstance.

[Stephen Collington]

Mark, quit griping. When was the last time you had a hamburger named after you, huh?

Read it and weep:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2167618/posts

[Mark Allinson]

No gripe, Stephen - I was merely echoing your "what else could he do".

I have had to land a crippled aircraft, and there's no heroism in doing what has to be done - you just do it.

How come I didn't get a hamburger in my name!!!

Or, since I only saved four lives, at least a lollypop or something.

[Michael Cantor]

A hamburger? What a comedown, and what a shame. If the Captain's name really had been "Solly" Sollenburg, I can assure you that it would have been something decent - corned beef and pastrami, maybe, on seeded rye - and cole slaw, and pickles from Solly's Famous Bottomless Pickle Bowl.

Mark - we're having some friends over Wednesday night, I'm planning roast shrimp and broccoli florets on lemon pappardelle (or maybe I'll do polenta baked with gorgonzola for the pasta - I haven't decided yet) - and I will name it all after you.

[Stephen Collington]

Originally Posted by Mark Allinson

How come I didn't get a hamburger in my name!!!

There's a snail if you cross your eyes and squint.

[Kevin J MacLellan]

Hello again,
Sorry this thread starter was such a non-starter.
I apologize for the apparent breach of strict etiquette, but I hadn't considered the post a poem as such. Rather a bare bones sketch of what I take public poetry to be like, with its mandatory references to God, awe, mercy and the ceremonial identity with the group ("Son"). It was meant to start conversation about a kind of poetry, not to beg praise or blame for itself.
Mr. Sullenberger (thanks to all for the correction) was also an unintended victim of over-casualness. He was more the spur to the topic than an intended topic, per se. Hence, I didn't put much thought into the accuracy of the details. It seemed enough to set the stage.
Once again I apologize and can promise not to let this error happen again. I;ll see to it that a moderator removes the graffiti a t once.
Kevin