The Poet of Poetry

The Life of Jack Prelustky

         Jack Prelutsky was born on September 8, 1940, in Brooklyn. He is currently 73. When he was born, a fire burned his house, but Jack Prelutsky was saved by his uncle. Jack Prelutsky hated poetry, but later rediscovered it. Jack Prelutsky  gets his ideas for his poems from things that are around him ,things that are happening, and things that happened. An interesting fact about him is that he's been a cab driver, furniture mover, piano mover, carpenter, folksinger, photographer, actor, and a lot more jobs. Another interesting fact is that he had his beard a foot long and keeps a frog collection. Sources: http://jackprelutsky.com/;http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/68; Wikipedia

  

Poem Analysis

        

A Dragon’s Lament – (from THE DRAGONS ARE SINGING TONIGHT)

I’m tired of being a dragon,

Ferocious and brimming with flame,

The cause of unspeakable terror

When anyone mentions my name.

I’m bored with my bad reputation

For being a miserable brute,

And being routinely expected

To brazenly pillage and loot.

I wish that I weren't repulsive,

Despicable, ruthless, and fierce,

With talons designed to dismember

And fangs finely fashioned to pierce.

I've lost my desire for doing

The deeds any dragon should do,

But since I can’t alter my nature,

I guess I’ll just terrify you. - Jack Prelutsky

      I think this poem the message that it sends is that you can't change who you are so be happy with yourself. This poem stuck to me I often wish that I were someone else but know I can't change. This is also why I can relate to this poem. I think during this time the poet was a sad person when writing this poem because he felt like changing himself.