Poem-A-Day: Opus 181 by Arthur Davison Ficke

December 7, 2013 Opus 181 by Arthur Davison Ficke     Skeptical cat,  Calm your eyes, and come to me.  For long ago, in some palmed forest,  I too felt claws curling  Within my fingers...  Moons wax and wane;  My eyes, too, once narrowed and widened...  Why do you shrink back?  Come to me: let me pat you--  Come, vast-eyed one...  Or I will spring upon you  And with steel-hook fingers  Tear you limb from limb...    There were twins in my cradle...         Today's poem is in the public domain.  About This Poem Arthur Davison Ficke is perhaps best remembered for participating in one of the most successful literary hoaxes of the twentieth century. Using the pseudonym Anne Knish, Ficke, along with fellow poet Witter Bynner, founded the Spectric school of modernist poetry to mock the reigning aesthetics of modernism at the time. Many of Ficke's Spectric poems, including "Opus 181," received widespread critical attention and were published in the spoof poetry collection Spectra: A Book of Poetic Experiments (1916). The Spectra Hoax began to unravel in 1918; Ficke's later poems were largely overshadowed by the success of his satirical work. Poetry by Ficke Spectra: A Book of Poetic Experiments (University of California Libraries, 1916)               Poem-A-Day Launched during National Poetry Month in 2006, Poem-A-Day features new and previously unpublished poems by contemporary poets on weekdays and classic poems on weekends. Browse the Poem-A-Day Archive.     Arthur Davison Ficke was born in 1883 in Iowa. An American poet and lawyer, Ficke studied at Harvard University and the University of Iowa. Ficke's early poetry established his reputation as a conservative poet and showcased his interest in traditional styles and forms. While serving in the army during World War I, Ficke met poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, and the two had a brief affair. Ficke died in 1945 in New York.   Related Poems Complete Destruction by William Carlos Williams The Pool by H. D. The Return by Ezra Pound __________________________ Love reading Poem-A-Day? Help support it today.     Thanks for being a part of the Academy of American Poets community. To learn about other programs, including National Poetry Month, Poem in Your Pocket Day, the annual Poets Forum, and more, visit Poets.org.

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