Style over content

The meter,' said Peter, 'is paramount

when perfecting and primping a poem,

it should go with a flow, like - so la ti do

with rhapsodic refrains in a row.'

'So you clearly like rhyme with a reason,'

mused Cedric - full bearded - and Zen,

'And dull keyboards and screens

are the tools of your dreams,

whereas I am still notebook and pen;

and I don't know a strophe from a spondee,

or whether sonnet or septet is best,

and adonic and dactyl and pantoum

leave me confused and poetically stressed.

'But I know a good poem when I see one,

a few lines - or a grand classic ode,

'tis a journey that transports the reader

whether Shakespeare or verse a la mode.'

And whilst tea and digestives were summoned

the discussion waged heated and loud,

on the merits (or not,) and of who gave a jot

as to what was correct or allowed.

But one thing was agreed as the moon rose

and they parted the bestest of friends ;

that the magic of words is what matters

and where poets take you with their pens.

Reviews

[CD Campbell]

This is a rolling great write Beccy. Concerning rhyme and meter, I have always thought the greatest forms were always the ones you could read and love then discover later that they were strict without appearing so. Which is part of want I think you are alluding to. It's a pleasure to read you as always.

[Robert Trakofler]

I am saving this, and i love it! This is pure genius to me and you just wrote the frequent internal dialogue of my fractured mind like an enigma decoding the daily submarine positions during world war 2! this makes me smile so much and chuckle and yet it is so serious & true Beccy

[Pete]

pretty cool verse. great stuff with good flow. so right - technicalities not important, 'tis about feelings, emotions and the journey. very much enjoyed reading this ... :)

[R.E. Ray]

"The magic of words is what matters... and where poets take you with their pens" is the essence of this poem -- and absolute truth. I love the playful nature of this poem, and how you weaved common language with old, lofty language of Shakespeare and the other Old Word geek poets (said smiling).

This is such a clever and entertaining write. It also reinforces my thoughts, sometimes a bit hardcore, that academics and dead poets should not dictate how or what we write. Though I often fall into conformity's pit, I feel mediocre in that place. So, I think we think alike, Beccy. :)

[Beccy]

Yes, I don't subscribe to any particular form; though I confess, I adore many of the poets of yesteryear.

Personally, I tend to write how I feel inside, and though much of the joy of reading poetry is in the interpretation, I try to avoid being intentionally obscure; you know, clever for clever's sake, as it often tends to suborn what the poet is trying to convey.

[Chris]

Returned and still agree as before!

[Paul Bell]

See, this is what I've missed.
Peter with the meter.
Cedric and Zen.
Poem and pen.
Going for my tea and digestives now.

[Gee]

Brilliant............ and now to work, the building sites call, aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[Great Aunt Astri]

Oh Brill! Love it.
And you are right .. it's what the poem does to the reader that matters. But there is such a huge 'goody bag' of what you can do with poetry with so many 'rules' and 'methods' that the poet can pick and choose, and can have great fun! (as you have done so superbly in this poem>)

[Norman 223]

This poem was a delight Beccy. It not only describes what a poem should achieve, but pursues its aim through gentle humour along with a teasing reference to technical terms that encourages further "study". It made the whole poem last over an hour for me. :-)
Norman

[Samuel Dickens]

I believe that art--any kind of art--should be such that anyone can enjoy it without being "schooled". Nature is the master, and we don't need sunsets or flowers explained to us, for their beauty is as drinkable as our own mother's milk. Rules are fine and often essential, but as they apply to writing, "The magic of the words is what matters". Often, I feel like I must be of a different species when I see poems on this site that make my head hurt, while others fawn over them. I'm no poetry authority, but know what I like, and see that you skillfully write words with meaning.

[Devons]

This is terrifically rhythmic and flows beautifully. The rhyming scheme is equally polished and the whole thing has a classically poetic feel to it. A very entertaining piece of writing but it also has something to say. There is witty amusement along the way, from both the humour as well as the clever use of language, bent and twisted magically to meet the poem's needs.
It is the magic of words indeed that matters, and the words here take you on a funfair ride through the wily scribblings of its author.
Excellent.

PS and I don't know or care too much what a spondee is, or even what the entities known as dactyl, adonic and pantoum have at all to do with anything outside of the pretentious vocabulary of a critic!