POETRY AND WTF

1. 60

   samboiamposted 15 years ago

   I have recently started dabbling in poetry. I have found it to be quite therapeutic for me. I asked a fellow hubber who has some professional training in the area of poetry to critique my work and to give me an honest review.
   
   She has done so. In a nutshell she says my poems have honesty and passion but lack imagery. I can accept that. I am not a polished poet by any stretch of the imagination. I asked for her help and she has responded.
   
   She suggested I begin to read some poetry. I began to do so this morning. I have read several. Frost, Hemmingway, along with many others. Here is what I have gained from them. I am not a poet.
   
   I do not understand most of what I have read. Usually I am left with the filling of wtf. I have no idea what this poet is talking about much less understand what he or she is trying to convey.
   
   So I guess I will continue to dabble for my own therapeutic benefit but give up one becoming the next Robert Frost.

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      alternate poetposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Samboiam
      
      I may have just the thing for you - a really good student presentation on Robert Frost 'A silken tent' - it is on powerpoint, will it email do you think ?
      
      Otherwise I could make a hub of it I guess ?
      
      You might want to check my only hub so far - new poem - to see if you think I qualify to help

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         TheGlassSpiderposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         I would love to see such a hub, or power point....as long as the student's cool with that!
         
         Seriously, it sounds like it would make a great topic!
         
         *runs off to read your poem*

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   2. 77

      Shadesbreathposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Poetry has to be read slowly.  Many people unused to reading it, approach it like they might an article or a book.  But that's not how it works.  To read poetry, you have to re-learn how to read. 
      
      Read it once through, just so you get a really muddy idea of where it goes.
      
      Then read it again. Slower. Maybe hit each line twice, but keep going to the end again.
      
      THEN, go back and start with the first line and start trying to unpack it.  Watch what it is saying instead of "reading it."  You have so "see" and "hear."  Think about the verb choices, what they are doing. Look at the words and think if they have more than one meaning.  Try to see/hear/feel each line as an independent unit within the verse. 
      
      You have to take time with it.  That's the key.  That's why a book of poetry is always so thin.  It's not thin because it's a fast read, it's just that 100 pages of poetry will take as much time to get through as 500 pages of prose if you are enjoying it properly.
      
      Just my take.  Hopefully it helps.

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         samboiamposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         You are right I do just read through it without really taking time to connect with the poet. I can see that. I will slow my little but down.
         
         Thank you.

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            SummerStewardposted 15 years agoin reply to this

            It's my opinion that a good poet brings you on a journey. Makes you feel what they are feeling with concrete vs. abstract.
            
            Abstract is a general idea.. Like... "I'm so sad, or I'm heartbroken and alone, he betrayed me..blah blah "
            
            rather than describing what happens to you when your heartbroken. What does your gut feel like? Where does your mind wonder to? What happens to world around you? What has led you to feel this way?
            
            Leading the reader into an important moment, or a truth shared is TO ME, what poetry is all about.  Concrete images paint across my mind when I read good poetry, and it sorta stuns me for awhile if it's a really good piece. I have to sit down and really think about what it meant to the author, and what it meant to me.

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         mega1posted 15 years agoin reply to this

         That is just the most perfect advice!  I read poems once fast, getting a grasp of the imagery and the "feeling" and then I read slowly, if I like the poem, savoring the word choices and phrasing and timing and rhythm and soul that the poet pours into it.  When I had the good fortune to be mentored by several wonderful poets I learned to edit and be succinct.  I also learned that no one probably has a "talent" for writing poetry - just like most other things in life one has to spend the time, pay the dues, and work at it.  It may well be that poets suffer most from fears of inadequacy - I know each time I write a poem after I think it is finished I put it aside for awhile, sometimes a long time, before I do the final edit, before I even consider publishing.  If you love poetry and want to write it, don't give up, just keep reading and writing and paying attention to the world.  It is very rewarding, emotionally and spiritually (if not monetarily!)

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            TheGlassSpiderposted 15 years agoin reply to this

            I absolutely agree with you and shades, I couldn't have said it better.

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         2. 80

            mega1posted 15 years agoin reply to this

            oh, and don't forget to read everything Pablo Neruda, e.e.cummings, Emily Dickinson, Arthur Rimbaud (- She was very much half-dressed
            And big indiscreet trees
            Threw out their leaves against the pane
            Cunningly, and close, quite close.)
            
            Lew Welch, Ginsberg, Keroac, Ferlingetti,Gary Snyder, Philip Whalen, Jack Spicer, Joanne Kyger
            
            Many prose writers are really poets - Dylan Thomas, Proust, Annie Dillard
            
            man, the list is so long!  I like to read poets nobody has ever heard of - poetry, I feel, is not about fame - it is about the common experience of life!  a celebration!  I adore it.
            
            OH!  and don't forget that ever song lyricist is a poet - and some of the poetry of rock and roll is eternal!

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      3. 56

         Sab Ohposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         I agree BUT quality prose needs to be read just as carefully to fully appreciate it.

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            Shadesbreathposted 15 years agoin reply to this

            Yes, there are definitely prose writers out there who are really poets that write to the end of every line.

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   3. 64

      Ben Evansposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      There are many types of poetry
      and some do have a little meter.
      
      Others Rhyme
      all the time
      
      Some ryhme every second
      or line fourth or third.
      Okay maybe its a little contrived
      but I hope you don't think it absurd.
      
      Sing me a song
      of this great time
      a story told in lyrics
      is a poem of mine.
      
      So sing me a song
      Yes please do.
      I like poetry and
      the music makes it true.
      
      Iambic pentamber has ten divides
      but a sonnet i wont write thats for sure
      I'll leave it to some other great poets
      like ones that go by the last name Shakespeare.
      
      Poetry paints beautiful pictures in words.
      The sky's sunburn at dusk
      comes after the days pale
      and awaits the moon to give
      contrast to the shadow's moment.
      
      Great emotion and inner sense can be portrayed.
      I grip my hand and hold my fist and shake it
      as I celebrate my first moment of success.
      My anguish is still held as I am haunted by the past.
      
      Many poets speak metaphorically.
      Silence begets misdeeds.
      I never thought I would see a tides change
      yet it happens at the moon's wish.
      A pool brings change but the
      sea quietly destroys little ecosystems.
      
      Poetry is about painting with words.
      There is a type to please all
      give it a try...you must
      You will have a ball.
      
      
      
      brings a black

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         alternate poetposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         You forgot -
         
         Roses are red
         Violets are blue
         Some poems ryhme
         Others don't.

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            Ben Evansposted 15 years agoin reply to this

            That is correct.  Poetry is a creation not a mechanism.
            
            Cheers,
            
            Ben

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               alternate poetposted 15 years agoin reply to this

               Of course - but the making of it is to do with conventions - or mechanisms

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                  Sab Ohposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                  I thought the poem in your only hub was quite good.

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                     northweststarrposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                     I especially like the pic of the girl in the beauty mask

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                        alternate poetposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                        Yeah - just got to love her huh!

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   4. 0

      philip carey 61posted 15 years agoin reply to this

      I think the key is to not attempt to affect a certain style or tone, but just to speak from the very center of yourself. One of the hardest things to do is to get out of the way of our purest thoughts--which seem always to be contaminated by the desire to sound a certain way, impress others, etc.
      
      I try to close my eyes, drop all plans, and let the thoughts dictate the poem. It's like dipping a cup in a raging river.  You pick it up, all wet and breathing hard, then share THAT. Write it down like a madman describing a monster!
      
      You can go back and bevel the edges later, changing words, rephrasing, etc., but when you have a good triggering thought, you need to capture it in its rawest form. If you have a questionable  thought, speak it LOUD. Don't be guilty of two things. ;-)
      
      There's much more integrity in trying to run too fast and falling than there is in a controlled and contrived walk.
      
      Good luck with it.

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   5. 61

      northweststarrposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      I'm sorry, you took it that way Sam.  That is not at all what I meant, and thanx for not naming me in this forum... Though I've done it for you now.  Never quit writing! Never give up learning!  Asking others for help is a good way to get some feedback, but you should take everything people say to you with a grain of salt!  I didn't know at all that my response was something you'd take to heart quite so literally and you inspired my last hub.  Yep, that one was written just for you! What do i know anyway?  I have a degree, yes but everyone's take on poetry is different.  Some people hate how complicated my poetry is for example and I've read "great" poets whose work I haven't cared for as well.  Keep writing and hubbing cause I've enjoyed reading your work and do NOT want to see you throw in the towel.

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      1. 60

         samboiamposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         I did not take anything personal. I appreciate your input, I truly do. Your last hub has helped me tremendously. So please do not think I am angry or discouraged because I am not. I don't always understand a lot of the poems I read and sometimes that can be frustrating.

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         1. 61

            northweststarrposted 15 years agoin reply to this

            Gotcha! Send your stuff to me anytime and I'll gladly help you with it.  Also any poem you can't quite make out.  Happy to help when I can!

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               samboiamposted 15 years agoin reply to this

               Thank you. I appreciate your help.

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                  northweststarrposted 15 years agoin reply to this

                  ...just feelin like the bad guy...

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2. 71

   Beth100posted 15 years ago

   Oh, Sambo!  Never judge yourself based on another's work!  Each writer has their own talent, their own special way of writing and conveying their thoughts and emotions.  You're not the only one who has walked away from reading great literature scratching his head.  You're a talented writer and you live in a different day and age than those guys.  Look at Shakespeare...many readers wouldn't understand what he's written unless the have the Notes as companions. I believe there's even a For Dummies book for understanding the old English and verse.
   
   Keep writing.  In your own style.  Poetry is written from within you.  That's all the rules you have to have. 
   
   Now, get your pen and paper out (or keyboard) and write to your hearts content. 

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      Sab Ohposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      " Look at Shakespeare...many readers wouldn't understand what he's written unless the have the Notes as companions. I believe there's even a For Dummies book for understanding the old English and verse."
      
      Shakespeare did not write in Old English.
      
      
      "Poetry is written from within you.  That's all the rules you have to have.  "
      
      I don't necessarily agree.

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3. 60

   TLMinutposted 15 years ago

   Poetry definitely seems personal. I can understand intellectually that someone is expressing something in art and poetry but I always end up thinking, "?? Would you just come out and SAY it already?!" I'm just not an artistic soul...

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4. 60

   TLMinutposted 15 years ago

   shadesbreath, wonderful explanation and advice! (I think - like I said, I don't read poetry but it might work if do it like that.)

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5. 71

   myownworldposted 15 years ago

   Some great advice there! I did my Masters in english literature and though we were 'taught' all the right ways of reading poetry, sometimes the most moving poems for me were those most simply written! Above all, it was always the force of the emotion behind them that captured me....
   
   I guess, what I'm trying to say is, more important than 'syntax' is the truth of the feelings behind your poem....so write from your heart and hopefully your words will carry their own power.
   
   And to quote, Frost:
   "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I- I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. "
   
   It's not easy taking the less traveled path, yes, but you can make a difference!

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      Shadesbreathposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      That's my favorite poem of all time, Myownworld.  That is such a deep and incredible one.  I also really like Ozymandias.  That one is just fun to think into its layers and layers, and about history and time and language.  Great stuff.

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         myownworldposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         oh yes, 'those passions read...which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, the hand that mocked them and the heart that fed...'
         One could just lose one self in beautiful poetry.....

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      northweststarrposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      This is totally what I was trying to convey to you Sambo! Emotion! Images! Make me feel it through you!

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6. 60

   samboiamposted 15 years ago

   Thank you all for your response it has been very helpful.
   
   Any suggestions on who to read that may help me develop as a poet.

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      TheGlassSpiderposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      I find Ralph Waldo Emerson's poetry to be beautiful and very straightforward, personally. I've also never had much trouble reading Poe's poetry (which is full of lush imagery and dark passions!) Pablo Neruda is simply amazing and also (IMO) fairly easy to read.
      
      Like other people have said, poetry is like nothing else...Keep reading, and you'll find the poetry that inspires you

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         samboiamposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         Here is a poem by Pablo Neruda. It is sinply amazing.
         
         ‘Carnal apple, Woman filled, burning moon,’
         
         Carnal apple, Woman filled, burning moon,
         dark smell of seaweed, crush of mud and light,
         what secret knowledge is clasped between your pillars?
         What primal night does Man touch with his senses?
         Ay, Love is a journey through waters and stars,
         through suffocating air, sharp tempests of grain:
         Love is a war of lightning,
         and two bodies ruined by a single sweetness.
         Kiss by kiss I cover your tiny infinity,
         your margins, your rivers, your diminutive villages,
         and a genital fire, transformed by delight,
         slips through the narrow channels of blood
         to precipitate a nocturnal carnation,
         to be, and be nothing but light in the dark.

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            TheGlassSpiderposted 15 years agoin reply to this

            Oh...*quiver and sigh* What beautiful words...He was SUCH a master. Here's another of his for you:
            
            I do not love you as if you were salt-rose, or topaz,
            or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
            I love you as certain dark things are to be loved,
            in secret, between the shadow and the soul.
            
            I love you as the plant that never blooms
            but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
            thanks to your love a certain solid fragrance,
            risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.
            
            I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
            I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
            so I love you because I know no other way
            
            than this: where I does not exist, nor you,
            so close that your hand on my chest is my hand,
            so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.

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      Justine76posted 15 years agoin reply to this

      http://www.famouspoetsandpoems.com/poet … ilverstein
      
      this is where I started. 

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      1. 60

         samboiamposted 15 years agoin reply to this

         Justine thanks for the link. I loved it.
         
         Here is one of Shel Silverstein's poems
         
         Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
         His underwear is hanging on the lamp.
         His raincoat is there in the overstuffed chair,
         And the chair is becoming quite mucky and damp.
         His workbook is wedged in the window,
         His sweater's been thrown on the floor.
         His scarf and one ski are beneath the TV,
         And his pants have been carelessly hung on the door.
         His books are all jammed in the closet,
         His vest has been left in the hall.
         A lizard named Ed is asleep in his bed,
         And his smelly old sock has been stuck to the wall.
         Whosever room this is should be ashamed!
         Donald or Robert or Willie or--
         Huh? You say it's mine? Oh, dear,
         I knew it looked familiar!
         
         
         Now that is great poetry. I'm luv'n it.

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   3. 0

      kimberlyslyricsposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      me, no professional, but a lyricist and would love to add what help I could if you wish.  Say the word and what you would like me to read
      kimberly
      anytime

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   4. 61

      SummerStewardposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      One of the greatest compilations of poetry I have read is "The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry", without fail I always lose myself in it. I always find inspiration from it. One of my favorites:
      
      Poem To The Freaks
      Jack Micheline
      
      To live as I have done is surely absurd
      In cheap hotels and furnished rooms
      To walk up side streets and down back alleys
      Talking to oneself
      And screaming to the sky obscenities
      That the arts is a rotten business indeed
      That mediocrity and the rage of fashion rules
      My poems and paintings piled on the floor
      To be one with himself
      A Saint
      A Prince
      To persevere
      Through storms and hardons
      Through dusk and dawns
      To kick death in the ass
      To be passed over like a bad penny
      A midget
      An Ant
      A roach
      A freak
      A Hot Piece
      An Outlaw
      Raise your cup and drink my friend
      Drink for those who walk alone in the night
               To the crippled and the blind
               To the lost and the damned
               To the lone bird flying in the sky
      Drink to wonder
      Drink to me
      Drink to pussy and dreams
      Drink to madness and all the stars
      I hear the birds singing

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7. 66

   Greek Oneposted 15 years ago

   Leonard Cohen
   Rabindranath Tagore
   Christina Georgina Rossetti

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8. 80

   mega1posted 15 years ago

   I forgot to mention my all time favorite - Rumi

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      TheGlassSpiderposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      Excellent choices, mega! I love Neruda as well...Oh Ode to a Lemon and 100 Love Sonnets! Ahh...

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9. 71

   myownworldposted 15 years ago

   Frost, Shelley, Emerson, Rossetti, Neruda and Rumi.....all in one thread!
   This HAS to be heaven.....

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10. 66

    Greek Oneposted 15 years ago

    Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river
    You can hear the boats go by
    You can spend the night beside her
    And you know that she's half crazy
    But that's why you want to be there
    And she feeds you tea and oranges
    That come all the way from China
    And just when you mean to tell her
    That you have no love to give her
    Then she gets you on her wavelength
    And she lets the river answer
    That you've always been her lover
    And you want to travel with her
    And you want to travel blind
    And you know that she will trust you
    For you've touched her perfect body with your mind.
    
    And Jesus was a sailor
    When he walked upon the water
    And he spent a long time watching
    From his lonely wooden tower
    And when he knew for certain
    Only drowning men could see him
    He said "All men will be sailors then
    Until the sea shall free them"
    But he himself was broken
    Long before the sky would open
    Forsaken, almost human
    He sank beneath your wisdom like a stone
    And you want to travel with him
    And you want to travel blind
    And you think maybe you'll trust him
    For he's touched your perfect body with his mind.
    
    Now Suzanne takes your hand
    And she leads you to the river
    She is wearing rags and feathers
    From Salvation Army counters
    And the sun pours down like honey
    On our lady of the harbour
    And she shows you where to look
    Among the garbage and the flowers
    There are heroes in the seaweed
    There are children in the morning
    They are leaning out for love
    And they will lean that way forever
    While Suzanne holds the mirror
    And you want to travel with her
    And you want to travel blind
    And you know that you can trust her
    For she's touched your perfect body with her mind.

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       TheGlassSpiderposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       Oooh...who wrote that!?

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          Greek Oneposted 15 years agoin reply to this

          the greatest Canadian poet/song writer of all time...
          
          Leonard Cohen
          
          http://www.leonardcohen.com/bio.html

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             myownworldposted 15 years agoin reply to this

             thanks for that... bookmarked it; will read in a quiet moment later.
             
             Also, Sam...I read your poems and commented.... you're very talented, no need to worry!

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11. 71

    myownworldposted 15 years ago

    "...And you want to travel with him
    And you want to travel blind
    And you think maybe you'll trust him
    For he's touched your perfect body with his mind..."
    
    Loved every word of it!

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    mega1posted 15 years ago

    I am slapping myself silly -
    
    
    what about John Lennon? 
    
    speaking words of wisdom
    let it be!

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13. 66

    Greek Oneposted 15 years ago

    They sentenced me to twenty years of boredom
    For trying to change the system from within
    I'm coming now I'm coming to reward them
    First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin
    I'm guided by a signal in the heavens
    I'm guided by this birthmark on my skin
    I'm guided by the beauty of our weapons
    First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin
    I'd really like to live beside you, baby
    I love your body and your spirit and your clothes
    But you see that line there moving through the station
    I told you I told you I told you I was one of those
    You loved me as a loser but now your worried that I just might win
    You know the way to stop me but you don't have the discipline
    How many nights I prayed for this: to let my work begin
    First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin
    I don't like your fashion business, mister
    I don't like these drugs that keep you thin
    I don't like what happened to your sister
    First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin (chorus)
    And I thank you for those items that you sent me
    The monkey and the plywood violin
    I practiced every night and now I'm ready
    First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin
    Remember me, I used to live for music
    Remember me, I brought your groceries in
    It's Father's Day and everybody's wounded
    First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin

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    Shadesbreathposted 15 years ago

    Wilfred Owen is another of my absolute favorites.  For those of you who have opinions on the war, he's got one that will ground you in today, bounce you into World War I, and then throw you back to Rome... all on the same promise that has been being made from then to now.  (Also, if you want to see what precise use of verbs looks like... this dude has skillz!)
    
    DULCE ET DECORUM EST
    
            Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
            Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
            Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
            And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
            Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
            But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
            Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
            Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.
    
            Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! –  An ecstasy of fumbling,
            Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
            But someone still was yelling out and stumbling,
            And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime . . .
            Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,
            As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
            In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
            He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
    
            If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
            Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
            And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
            His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
            If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
            Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
            Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
            Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,
            My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
            To children ardent for some desperate glory,
            The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est
            Pro patria mori.
    
            8 October 1917 - March, 1918
    
    
    
            Note on the title: DULCE ET DECORUM EST - the first words of a Latin saying (taken from an ode by Horace). The words were widely understood and often quoted at the start of the First World War. They mean "It is sweet and right." The full saying ends the poem: Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori - it is sweet and right to die for your country. In other words, it is a wonderful and great honour to fight and die for your country.   [Copied from http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/owen1.html]

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       TheGlassSpiderposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       A very powerful poem...and one that makes wonderful use of the kind of imagery sambo was mentioning earlier in the thread. Thank you for sharing!

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    Greek Oneposted 15 years ago

    In Guernica the dead children were layed out in order on the sidewalk
    In their white starched dresses
    In their pitiful white dresses
    On their foreheads and breasts the little round holes where death came in as thunder while they were playing their important summer games
    Do not weep for them, Madre
    They are gone forever, the little ones
    Straight to heaven to the saints
    And God will fill the bullet holes with candy

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    myownworldposted 15 years ago

    Thanks Greek for those wonderful poems. And Shades, I'm going to add that to one of my soldier hubs... would fit in perfectly! thank you..
    
    Wish I could stay reading all day.... so leaving with this line from Tennyson I love:
    
    "And I would that my tongue could utter....the thoughts that arise in me..."

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    TheGlassSpiderposted 15 years ago

    This thread has been a wonderful diversion from what I'm supposed to be doing for a little while. I hope to come back later and find even more wonderful poetry here!
    
    Thank you, sambo, for inviting us to share poetry today!

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18. 85

    manlypoetrymanposted 15 years ago

    Poetry has its' own unique style...some fits you and your thinking...Some don't. Just like any other thing that is out there. Good fortune finding your own style and what fits in your taste. Enjoy the journey...there are all kinds of writers with all kinds of poems! Best of fortune writing your kind of poems and/or reaing poetry!

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19. 82

    Rafiniposted 15 years ago

    I don't understand poetry, most of the time.  I have tried reading slowly and have repeated lines multiple times because I don't understand them, only to determine I don't understand poetry!  But, how come I can write it?

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       kimberlyslyricsposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       that is actually called embracing and being in touch with your inner creativity.  Embrace that, sounds pretty cool and very original no doubt
       kimberly
       

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       1. 82

          Rafiniposted 15 years agoin reply to this

          lol  so, you're saying it's a good thing, or at least, an okay thing?  I guess I can accept that.

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20. 59

    Jane@CMposted 15 years ago

    I love to write poetry & I have published only one.  To me, poetry isn't to be critiqued, it comes from somewhere inside of us & really no one can critique that part of us, kwim?

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       northweststarrposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       My college professors would beg to differ, lol

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       1. 59

          Jane@CMposted 15 years agoin reply to this

          My college professors did differ so I wrote what "they" wanted.  Now I write what I want

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             northweststarrposted 15 years agoin reply to this

             Sounds good to me! I'll check your hubs later sweetheart!

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             alternate poetposted 15 years agoin reply to this

             Every advice on here is correct in my opinion - each in its own way.
             
             The business of the mechanics is about the meaning - if you just write a string of stuff in a different way to 'normal' text then it is something but not within the definition of poetry.
             
             The mechanics are there to use and intentionally not use, if some words are rhymed and others not this is calling attention to them in different ways - for instance.
             
             None of the rules are essential but they add dsignificantly deeper meaning to the words.  It is a good idea to know the basic rules to be able to see what the writer is saying.

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21. 90

    BeccaHubbardWoodsposted 15 years ago

    sambo,
    Each poet is trying to convey a message. One of the points of poetry is to make it mean something to you personally. Interpret it how you want to. What it means to you, may be completely different from what the poet was saying or what it meant to someone else.
    
    There's no reason to give up on it. Just practice, keep reading as much as you can. If something doesn't make sense to you, move on until you find something that does. Make a connection with a poem and go from there.
    
    You stated that it was therapeutic to you to write poetry, so don't stop!!! Even if you just want to put your poems in a shoebox so people can't critisize, don't stop. Anything that is worth anything to you will be worth something to someone else.

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       northweststarrposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       

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       Sab Ohposted 15 years agoin reply to this

       Nah, can't keep 'em in a shoe box. That's beside the point.

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22. 0

    kimberlyslyricsposted 15 years ago

    yo Samboiam'
    
    can't figure what sounds good to rhyme with rhyme
    
    damn.
    
    *urgh*
    
    xo

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