The sneer of a master poet.
GLENCOE, ON – It has been reported that local boy Matthew Schnurr has been awarded the international
Griffin Poetry Prize for his remarkable work “Things I Don’t Want”. To those who know Matt well and are familiar with his writing talent, this comes as no surprise. Amazingly, this poem was written nearly 9 years ago in Matt’s OAC English class.
“I simply cannot believe how we could have overlooked such a magnificent piece of work for so many years,” explains Scott Griffin, founder of the Griffin Trust. “I would rather not think about it and just thank god that it has now been found to be shared with the world.”
Here at Keeping-It-Real.com, we have obtained the exclusive rights to publish this stunning work. However, we would like to warn our readers that after reading this, it is unlikely you will be able to enjoy another poem ever again. It is just that powerful.
Things I Don’t Want
By Matthew Schnurr
Who wants scabies?
Who wants rabies?
Who wants babies?
Not me.
And there you have it. With only a few words, a lifetime of knowledge has been expressed regarding wants, desires, life’s disappointments, and of course the loathing of infants.
Margaret Collins, literary scholar and trustee with Griffin, had this to say about the piece: “The beauty of this work is that while volumes have been expressed by these words, there are still unanswered questions. Like, have you had first hand experience with any of these terrible things? Perhaps even some vile combination, like a baby with rabies?”
Just a few of the things that Matt Schnurr does not want.
“Also, it is interesting to note that he appears to listing relative best to worst. Matthew admits that he considers a newborn child to be worse than contracting rabies, which involves paralysis, extreme cerebral dysfunction, hallucinations and delirium. It’s brutally honest, and extremely powerful.”
When Matt Schnurr was asked about how he became the writer he is today, he remained humble as always: “I believe it all started when I was taught by Mr. “Big A” Andrews, who inspired me daily with his stories of vandalizing lawns and clotheslining muggers. I owe it all to him.”
