Good Ol' Herbie

There is no denying that George Herbert was a good guy. As a priest, he was noted for his unfailing care for his parishoners, bringing sacraments to the ill, feeding the hungry, and clothing the poor. But the dude wrote poetry. Not just any kind of poetry, either. Metaphysical poetry. The type that you and I (well, perhaps just me) are too dumb to understand. The type that makes it seem like he and God are BFFs and writing letters to each other about how cool they are. "God, you are the coolest. You are the man. I mean THE man." says Herbert. And God says, "You know I dont like poetry, right George?" Herbert's typical rhyme scheme varies from the simple to the slightly complex. His word choice is fairly simple, preferring to write so we, the reader, might understand what the hell he's talking about. Which we dont (again, probably just me). He's like the 17th century poetic equivalent of Ernest Hemingway in his simplicity, except Herbert doesnt seem to care all that much for old men or the seas they fish on. There is no question as to what he DID care for: the divine. Herbert was arguably the most infatuated with the divine of all the 17th century poets. After all, he was a priest, dammit. Herbert was also an innovator of some sorts, playing with what a poem does visually as opposed to just words. His poem "The Altar" looks like - you guessed it - an altar! Damn, thats creative!