This poem is taken from PN Review 54, Volume 13 Number 4, March - April 1987.

Seven Rules for a Poet in the Eighties

Harry Guest

One. To attract acclaim it's vital you
Should have no particle of talent. Two.
Ape the successfully banal in drab,
Unenterprising images and grab
Each chance to praise what's flattest. Three. Ignore
The shadowed, musical or complex. Four.
Remember what's traditional is dead,
Make sure you chuck the classics and, instead,
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