Monday, 16 April 2012

The Scarecrow, a Wizard of Oz inspired poem by Adam White, poet

I've been reading the great Eric Shanower adaptation of the Wizard of Oz lately and have a new found appreciation for how brilliant and deep all of the characters in both the original and the adapted versions of the book are. Here is a poem from the perspective of the Scarecrow, who can't understand why Dorothy would want to leave Oz, when Kansas is such a dull and dreary place.

She speaks of Kansas, bleak and greyish waste,
That lacks the beauty which this land does yield,
And states that those with minds can know no better place
Than home, despite the woes that home may wield.
This mystery is such I fail to see,
Perhaps because my head is stuffed with straw,
How all thoughtful men would much rather be,
In lands of plenty, leaving Kansas all.
So my conclusion then, I must surmise,
Is that this barren land, boring and plain,
Is very lucky in my painted eyes
That normal men all come with tender brains.

Get this wonderful graphic novel adaptation here




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Posted by at 15:40
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15 comments:

  1. nice one, Adam. I love that movie!

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    1. Me too. The books are fantastic. Such a rich world, and full of intelligent and funny discourse, especially for children's books.

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  2. Nice poem...the stuffed head puts things in a much simpler perspective...

    Wander

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  3. smiles...really well done..and it is a choice too we must all make in where we end up and which land we choose to find the magic in...smiles.

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  4. nice..the magic of a land sometimes doesn't necessarily lie in its landscape - those that love see much deeper i guess..well done adam

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  5. Good job...very nicely woven, Adam :)

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  6. That is a great question...why would anyone want to leave OZ? Why not send the balloon to pick up the relatives in Kansas? Good one Adam

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    1. It's funny that the thought eventually occurs to Dorothy that she should move the family to OZ, where they can live happy instead of miserable.

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  7. love that last line... nice! now i want to have a nap in a field of poppies...

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    1. And get dragged to safety by a hoard of mice who are happy to help since your friend the tin woodsman cut off a cat's head to stop him eating the queen of the mice?

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  8. I suppose the grass isn't always greener on the other side. Sometimes it's good enough wherever you happen to be.

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  9. I think getting into the head of a character in a published work, or that of your own personally drawn characters is a great exercise, perfectly utilized in poetry. Using such a widely known character such as the scarecrow can be a daunting task, seeing so many probably have recollections of this straw man, but you don't show any hesitancy and nail this pov piece very nicely. thanks

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    1. I love doing this kinda of thing. It's an excellent exercise in characterisation trying to simmer down the bare bones of such a well known finger in to such a tightly packed environment as a short poem.

      The Scarecrow is one of my very favourite fictional characters because, despite his not having a brain, he is incredibly wise and intelligent, albeit in a naive, uninformed way. It's the same reason I love both the Tin Woodsman for his over emotional reaction to squashing a bug and the Cowardly Lion for mistaking fear for cowardice, despite the fact he is always brave when he is scared..

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  10. this is such a really deep insight into the subject of home. I love the rhythm and the rhymes you have used. A great post. Thankyou.

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    1. Thanks very much Gerry. Glad you enjoyed it.

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