(For Day 3 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt was for a poem that explains why I am a poet and not something else, like, say, a lawyer for example.)

I am a poet, though the world may not know it,
And I am content in my chosen art.
Though lawyers deflower big bucks by the hour,
What I write is not rote and still carries some heart.

I’d much rather goad out a lyrical ode
Than deal with the labyrinthine legal code.

I’d much rather dwell on a shrewd villanelle
Than look for a loophole that’s hidden in hell.

I’d rather spend time masterminding some rhymes,
Than living off custody battles and crimes.

I’d much rather stick with a nice limerick
Than share the repute of a leech or a tick.

I’d rather arraign an offending quatrain
Than claim an objection I hope they sustain.

I’d sooner do sonnets or write a rondeau
Than need to know Latin to sound like a pro.

I’d rather debate with a versatile verse
Than argue in prose with a need to rehearse.

A lawyer exerts to secure just desserts,
And more power to them; such skill’s beyond me.
For me, life is sweeter when measured by meter,
Which doesn’t require a fancy degree.
______________________

MPA rating:  PG

In the lead-up to the most recent Oscars ceremony, Turner Classic Movies had their annual 31 Days of Oscar event, playing a variety of Oscar-nominated films, many of which I only knew by name or reputation. One such movie was 1973’s The Paper Chase, following a first-year student at Harvard Law School named James Hart (Timothy Bottoms) who endures the stern tutelage of Professor Charles Kingsfield (John Houseman) while also wooing his daughter (Lindsay Wagner).

The film boasts an accessible erudition that feels like an honest depiction of law school, an ever-demanding taskmaster personified by Houseman’s no-nonsense professor, the kind that makes students desperate to prove they can measure up, even when they can’t. The scenes with Hart in class and bouncing off his high-strung study group are quite engaging, while the romance elements fall rather flat, partly because of a distinct lack of chemistry between Bottoms and Wagner’s characters. The final scene also left me a bit frustrated, fitting in a poetic sense but practically annoying like Rose’s last action in Titanic.

A long-time producer and acting teacher before becoming more widely known here, Houseman is considered the film’s main strength, having won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor and going on to play the same role in the TV spin-off also called The Paper Chase. And though he is quite good, his stone-faced character never really wowed me as award-worthy, while I thought Bottoms, who wasn’t even nominated, deserved more attention for his portrayal of a harried law student. One thing is for certain, though: I’m glad I never tried to become a lawyer.

Best line: (Kingsfield, to Hart) “Mr. Hart, here’s a dime. Call your mother and tell her there is serious doubt about you becoming a lawyer.”
(Hart, pausing on his way out) “You… are a son of a bitch, Kingsfield!”
(Kingsfield) “Mr. Hart! That is the most intelligent thing you’ve said today. You may take your seat.”

Rank:  Honorable Mention

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