"beware: do not read this poem" by Ishmael Reed

Reed is an American poet born in 1938. He is known for writing satirical poems and novels about cultural oppression and political culture.His works are often portrayed as being specifically about the oppression of African Americans in the United States, but many of them can be expanded to include all oppressed people.

"Beware : Do Not Read This Poem" by Ishmael Reed

tonite, thriller was
abt an ol woman , so vain she
surrounded herself w/
          many mirrors

it got so bad that finally she
locked herself indoors & her
whole life became the
          mirrors

one day the villagers broke
into her house , but she was too
swift for them . she disappeared
          into a mirror
each tenant who bought the house
after that , lost a loved one to
          the ol woman in the mirror :
          first a little girl
          then a young woman
          then the young woman/s husband

the hunger of this poem is legendary
it has taken in many victims
back off from this poem
it has drawn in yr feet
back off from this poem
it has drawn in yr legs

back off from this poem
it is a greedy mirror
you are into the poem . from
         the waist down
nobody can hear you can they ?
this poem has had you up to here
          belch
this poem aint got no manners
you cant call out frm this poem
relax now & go w/ this poem

move & roll on to this poem
do not resist this poem
this poem has yr eyes
this poem has his head
this poem has his arms
this poem has his fingers
this poem has his fingertips

this poem is the reader & the
reader this poem

statistic : the us bureau of missing persons re-
         ports that in 1968 over 100,000 people
          disappeared leaving no solid clues
          nor trace     only
a space     in the lives of their friends
 

"beware: do not read this poem: has a clearly evident unusual structure to it. From the seemingly randomly chosen indents to the misspelling of words, Reed appears to have just written down a poem with his eyes closed. Each unique structural element has a purpose, however, whether it is highlighting a crucial detail, or forcing ambiguity in a word. From the start, the spelling of the word "tonite" sets the tone as being rushed as "tonite" is a frequently used abbreviation of tonight. This leads the reader to think that the poem will serve as a warning of some kind as the title has the word "beware" and the poem is written in a hasty fashion. This style of abbreviating words is evident throughout such as "abt" for about and "w/" for with. While this element helps to establish a tone, it also leaves a bit of ambiguity in the interpretation of the abbreviations. 

As for the structure of the poem, many of the indentations are placed in spots that have specific details or important information about the disappearances. This may be so that the warning is easily seen even at a glance due to the singling out of these lines such as the emphasis on "mirrors." These mirrors are the manner in which the old woman takes people, so it makes sense that these lines would be emphasized the most. Additionally, the statistic given at the end is indented as it is crucial that the reader notices how enormous of a problem these disappearances have become. In the last line the space surrounding the phase "only a space" helps to develop a visual as the space surrounds the phrase talking about the space that the disappearances leave behind. In all, the structural elements that seem to be randomly placed within the poem help to emphasize the warning that the author is trying to convey. He even taps into human nature by commanding the reader not to read the poem in the title. knowing that this only makes someone want to read it more.