The First in a Series of Beau Présents Written for My Favorite Poets

~ Paul Szlosek

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Having received such an enthusiastic response to the two poems I wrote as examples of the relatively obscure French invented poetry form known as the beau présent on a recent post, I have been inspired to try writing an entire series dedicated to some of my favorite poets (warning: there are hundreds of poets I really adore so this may turn out to be a very long series). In case you have not read that particular post and have no idea what I’m talking about, the beau présent is a poem written to honor another person using only words made up from the letters contained in that person’s name. This very first one is my attempt at a heartfelt tribute to the brilliant Pulitzer-winning Serbian-American poet, Charles Simic (I hope you will enjoy reading it and be encouraged to try your own about your favorites):

A Beau Présent For Charles Simic

Charles Simic is so chill,
he’s as cool as chili-lime ice cream.
His smile is a classic semicircle,
his ears mimic small cameras.
I recall his earlier careers
as a clerical armchair researcher,
a Maharishi, a macrame messiah.
I cherish his mesmeric charisma,
I relish his harmless sarcasm.
He’s a shameless schemer,
a rare charmer, a seamless liar,
a serial rimer (all his similes are
sheer miracles). He’s a hammer,
a chisel, a seismic missile –
he smashes racism, he erases malaise.
His cashmere lies caress me,
his alchemical mercies shall heal me.
He is a real mishmash (as harsh
as Islam, as rich as Israel). He is America!

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Published by Paul Szlosek

Paul Szlosek was born in Southbridge, Massachusetts, but currently resides in the nearby metropolis of Worcester. He was co-founder and host of the long-running Poet’s Parlor poetry reading in Southbridge and Sturbridge, as well as a past recipient of the Jacob Knight Award for Poetry. His poems have appeared in various local publications including the Worcester Review, Worcester Magazine, Sahara, Concrete Wolf, and Diner. He’s probably best known in the Worcester poetry community for his fanatical obsession with obscure poetry forms, and has invented his own including the ziggurat, the streetbeatina, and (most recently) the hodgenelle.

14 thoughts on “The First in a Series of Beau Présents Written for My Favorite Poets”

  1. A wonderfully written poem, Paul! I look forward to your continued entries in this series. As a true fan of poetic styles, I was intrigued by this form when you first posted it. However, I will admit to being a little intimidated by the form and, as yet, have not given it a try. But I will eventually and I hope I can do it justice as well as you do!

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  3. Paul, this is a fantastic poem, and clever as hell to boot! Charles Simic is a fantastic poet… and I am very proud to claim him as one of our own from New Hampshire… in fact he lived across the street from my best friend growing up… Small world, but a beautiful world and you have perhaps opened our eyes to a master we should read more of!

    Thanks for stopping by the Go Dog Go Cafe today!

    S Francis

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