Free Form Verse -- The Ruin of Poetry?

A rebuttal essay to an author who shall remain nameless but who believes free verse is the reason poetry has lost its appeal in modern society

     Okay, okay, I admit it. I am one of those annoying people. I am a stickler for details. I enjoy the facts. I was on elementary and high school debate teams and even went on a pseudo-famous Canadian debate show for young people when I was a teen. I have a hard time letting things go when something "sticks in my craw". Recently I received a rather pompous written lecture on free form verse and its complete lack of discernible style etc. as opposed to structured, rhymed and metred poetry. It spawned three poems, and I am sure it will spawn more in the future.
    
     One thing I absolutely cannot stand is someone confusing their taste with fact. I review many poems that are "not to my taste" with professionalism, respect, and care. Just because I do not like a certain thing does not mean that I cannot see the effort put into the writing, the grammar, the length of the lines, the style, the subject matter, etc., and whether it is a good example of what it is intended to represent.
    
     The contention of this particular lecture I received via private message was supposedly not to insult my writing or to personally attack. It was to point out the FACT that only structured, metred, and rhymed poetry will endure through history, and that free form verse is not TRUE poetry. That is like saying an apple is not a TRUE apple because it is a cross between two kinds of apples. It is patently ridiculous to make such general statements. Trust me, this guy is literally the first person in my life to even hint that I do anything lazily or sloppily. I am a lot of things, and lazy just is not on the list.
   
      In keeping with the facts however, I need to back up my case by citing some lasting and enduring free form verse poets. If you start with the "founders", Walt Whitman, T.S. Eliot, and Emily Dickinson, for example, it is hard to argue their work will not endure. Robert Hayden, James Wright, e.e. cummings, Stanley Kunitz, Anne Sexton and Sylvia Plath did not produce art that "passes the first reading?" To call a free form poet lazy in their art because they do not follow convention is the equivalent of calling Picasso and Dali hacks. Does Oscar Wilde not qualify as an enduring poet because he wrote in prose?
     
     I think I have made my point, but just in case there is someone out there who thinks that free verse is something that "just cropped up" in poetry post 1800's, I will leave you with this, attributed to King Solomon in the King James version of, you guessed it, THE BIBLE. It does not get more enduring or much older than that folks. Enough said (till it comes up again, that is):

I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.
As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.
As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons.
I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.
He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.
Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love.
His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me.
I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes,
and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor wake my love, till he please.

Author's Note

Check out all the above poets -- in paper or online, their work speaks for itself.
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Reviews

[Ted Kniffen]

Good write, Lyn. :) I suppose we could throw in Lane, Purdy and Layton, just for fun.

[Lyn Anderson]

For sure. The list of reckless ruin is long. Murderers all.

[Richard🖌]

Dear Lyn,
Over the years, I've run across several like this fellow, and I suppose, we each tend to claim our rightful entitlement to opinion, though (to my mind's-eye) whether we are actually "entitled" to it, or not, is another discernment, altogether, because with entitlement comes the responsibility of being correct … in fact, it requires being correct BEFORE entitlement is a person's "right" to claim; otherwise, an opinion has no power and is only based on one's personal conjecture and take, based on their degree of ability to gather information and form a reasonable or unreasonable conclusion or guess, at best.
Having said that, your opinion has credibility, backed by fact and, therefore, you actually have a "right" to it … just my observation, of course, and not really an opinion at all. : )

As a long-tenured teacher of poetry and it's multi-faceted and varied array of forms, including Free Verse and Free Style forms, it is my honest contention that poetry, as an art form, has strict rules that make it so, but as an art of free expression, whatever poetry is, or isn't, is up to the individuals writing and reading it to determine if it is poetry, or not, as one's opinion, really has no rules, nor it is valid on any level, except to the individual having or expressing it, or to any whom might possibly agree. But, unlike a structured art, "opinions" are as stable and dependable as the weather, and are bound to change with or without notice.
I totally embrace your retort, Lyn, because it is valid to the 'nth degree, and is not simply an or your opinion.

Thank you for sharing You, Dear Lyn … hugs 'n smiles! ⁓ Richard : )

[Lyn Anderson]

Maybe I'll change my moniker to Len. I kind of like it. As it happens, the rude and unthoughtful person who spawned this piece I barely remember. But ah, what inspiration such people can be

[Richard🖌]

Well, they inspired your deeply inspirationally-enlightening and conscientious essay and my response in review, "Lyn" … LOL!
It's always been a pleasure to share with You.

[Lyn Anderson]

Thanks. It's been a while

[Richard🖌]

I do a lot of reading. : )

[Vidya Bacchus]

I think poetry is about expressing yourself and being able to evoke an emotion from those reading it.I believe there are some people who think their opinion is the law and I cannot tolerate this.Great write Kit Kat.

[Lyn Anderson]

Thanks as always my dear friend.:)

[Vidya Bacchus]

You are welcome :)

[Chris Micha]

Poetry is art. Art is expression. Poetry expresses the feeling of the writer in any form. Metered, rhyme, or any other style.

What matters is that it leaves an impact on the reader, long lasting. Walt Whitman is a great example. If these prior authors didn't pave the way for future prose writers then I'm not sure who will.

Thank you for posting this. This is something that should be brought to attention. :)

[Lyn Anderson]

Thank you so much. I agree with prior comments. It is not the form it is written in, but how the poet gives it life.

[willweb]

I enjoyed reading this today. This is true. Only a closed uninspired mind can not accept it all.

[Lyn Anderson]

I agree. The person in question believes it is not close minded to dismiss all poetry that is both rhymed and metred out of hand.

[Madalyn Beck]

Excellent job making your point!! And you know what, personally, the Bible has some of my favorite verses that do not follow any rhyme or meter. You have expressed your feelings on the matter perfectly. If people can't see that free form poetry is still a song of the soul, they are truly lost. xo (:

[Nusquam Esse]

To me, poetry is defined by the way that people pay attention to the language itself. This can by rhyme or meter, or it can be word play. This even extends to a particular attention paid to the value and feeling of words. It tries to create an image and meaning using this, which is quite different than the approach used in most prose. I have nothing against free-form poetry. However, I feel that there is little room to debate that many of its writers ARE lazy and that their 'poetry' is just poorly constructed prose. But this does not make the whole format, and all those who write it, this very same. I feel that if a 'poet' has a mediocre vocabulary, does not have at least an understanding of meter, their work shows no conscious consideration to structure and/or presentation, and they do not understand or consider nuances in their writing... they are not a bloody poet. They are a wanna-be. And while I can support people who aspire to writing, even if they are not good, when I have given advice to people such as this, they have always discounted it as being 'too-hard'; which shows their true limits, not just in skill but also ambition. There is a huge difference between choosing to not use form, and being incapable of it. (And of course, formed poetry writers have their fair share of piss-poor ones as well. Ones where rhymes are simple and forced, and nuances are ignored)

[Lyn Anderson]

Now here is a person who understands poetry and is honest. Dismissing one type of poetry as the ruin of poetry is very terrible. I am certainly not a lazy poet, and am capable of writing anything I wish, however, it does sound forced if it is a style you are uncomfortable with, and will not come off as sincere. I would never slag a poet or a style the way I was slagged and from reading your above review, it is clear that you would not as well. What you say makes perfect sense.

[Nusquam Esse]

Glad you enjoyed it. There are no bad forms, just bad poets. It is always a challenge to push our limits, and yet not come across as contrived, but it is how I thrive!

[MsJewel]

I think you made your point very well in this well written little rebuttal - I won't call it a rant, because I can tell you put much thought into it.

Perhaps this person has never read the great classic poets you mentioned and is more comfortable with a Hallmark greeting card...

:) Julie

[Lyn Anderson]

Yes, I ranted in my three latest poems, and I rebutted with this. I am sure he is lurking out there, wondering why I am so riled, but I take it personally when my favourite poets are lumped into a box, and I am told I have no discernible style. Uggh. How insulting.