First Line Poem

DR.FARNSWORTH, A CHIROPODIST, LIVED IN OHIO, WHERE HE WROTE ONLY THE FIRST LINES OF POEMS is another extremely abstract poetry form, similar to True/False in a sense. My initial reaction to this poem is to despise it; in all honesty, I was planning to write solely of how much I disliked it. But as I began writing the title, a certain interesting quality struck me. The title is truly crucial in making this poem, because it gives the reader a peek into the life of Dr. Farnsworth. It shows that he is the type of man who can never get anything finished, and who abandons projects the second he is presented with an obstacle. And truthfully I find that fascinating, and as I’ve said it didn’t dawn on me until I began writing this. I guess that initially I more or less ignored the title, because although a title can do a lot to enhance a poem, typically the body of the poem is where the true information lies. But in this case, the title is the poem, and the body only enhances the title. The body shows how sporadic Dr. Farnsworth’s thought process is, and shows his attempts at poetry, but the title holds all the important information. I don’t know about anyone else but I was rather unclear about the true definition of a Chiropodist. Apparently it’s the Canadian/ U.K. term for a podiatrist, or someone who is concerned with the care and treatment of feet. This fact also plays a crucial role in deciphering this poem because, in my opinion, doctors tend to be a bit spacey and bizarre, especially a foot doctor. So thanks to this ingenious title I have created Dr. Farnsworth in my mind, and I can perfectly picture him sitting at a desk writing first lines of poems, then quitting, only to begin a new poem.

Daniel Pilla