Dancing on letters

Relationships between the writer and the reader.

Dancing on letters

Here am I, ready to tell you my 

Whole story, which you heard 

Thousand of times in the mouth 

Of others. I just want that be my 

Words. Not mine, but borrowed 

From language and you already 

Heard them and know, like 

Music is old and new. I ask 

You for the dance. Few steps 

On letters which I think take 

Some of your time to listen to me.

What else I could tell? Why 

Choose me? My story? I don’t 

Know. In this light, your eyes are 

Hurting from the sun from the window.

Your hand, such close and afar. 

I tremble, waiting for you to hold me 

Among the other books which 

Covered in dust on a shelf 

Of poetry, contemporary. 

27.05.2024

Reviews

[Relic]

I like the way you handled this and the metaphorical concept involved - dancing over letters to hear what you have to say. Reading can often be like dancing from letter to letter until the dance is over and the meaning understood.

Well done, Kate. It's nice to read your poetry for the first time. :)

[Patricia Wedel]

dear Kate... I love your poetry... as thoughtful and dreamy as a Sycamore Tree. gently, Pat

[Lonely Bunny]

Very tastefully written. I’m a fan of yours from this moment onwards :)

[Patricia Wedel]

Awesome poetry from an Artist of Integrity…. A beautiful Dance of Words and Emotions… softly, Pat

[emmajoygreen]

'What else I could tell? Why
Choose me? My story? I don’t
Know. In this light, your eyes are
Hurting from the sun from the window.
Your hand, such close and afar.
I tremble, waiting for you to hold me
Among the other books which
Covered in dust on a shelf
Of poetry, contemporary.'

Your 'dancing letters' - making their own music. Hands, moving nearer and - you, waiting to be held, turned, kept close.. in superb metaphoric ardour. Cleverly and beautifully said

[Chris]

Our perceptions of life, others, and our selves flavor our existences. A bouquet of being... us. We only hope we are well-watered and alive in the sunshine.

[JayG]

So, you took a short essay, removed paragraphing, narrowed the margin, and capitalized the first letter of each line. If only writing poetry was that simple.

But poetry isn't about telling others about ourselves. It's about making them care and feel. Readers expect to be entertained, not informed on how we're feeling, or what matters to us. S E. L. Doctorow puts it: “Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader. Not the fact that it’s raining, but the feeling of being rained upon.”

So, instead of telling the reader how you feel, make them feel it. The nonfiction approach we learn in school tells the reader that the author cried, and why. But poetry? It gives the reader reason to weep.

Used well, the skills developed over centuries give you the superpower to make the reader feel what YOU choose for them to feel, by the power of the words you choose and their placement. But like any other profession, those of poetry must be acquired in addition to the general nonfiction writing skills of school.

And they're well worth the effort, both in reader enjoyment and the way they make the act of writing so much more satisfying.

It's the difference between trying to sound deep and adding depth to you words.

Grab a copy of Mary Oliver's, A Poetry Handbook from the site I link to below. It's a true gem, and filled with surprising insights, like why we sometimes want to use the word rock and at others, stone, for what is, the same thing.
https://yes-pdf.com/book/1596

Jay Greenstein
Articles: https://jaygreenstein.wordpress.com/category/the-craft-of-writing/the-grumpy-old-writing-coach/
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/@jaygreenstein3334

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“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”
~ Mark Twain