Thoughts and opinions on poetry.

 

 

 

  There is no right or wrong way to write a poem, unless of course, you are specifically following a format such as a haiku, limerick or senryu--etc... A prose style poem has no less value due to its lack of structure than a more rhythmatic, rhyming or formatted poem. If the poem contains quality, then it does. If it doesn't, then it doesn't.

 

     I have read poetry that rhymed and it bored my intellect and moreover, my heart and soul. I have read poetry--seemingly fitting together at random, which made such an impact that I thought of it for hours or even days later.

 

      I have often felt that rhyming poems with metered stanzas to be very crafty and moreover, clever. It is not always easy to compile crafty and clever artfully, hence everyone would be poets if that were the case.     

 

     Every poet has their strong suits and their weaker points when composing poetry. It is good that we all be proportioned differently in the arts, or everyone would create the same, and how boring that would be! Some readers have a specific genera that they, as an individual, are more partial to, and that my friends, is the wondrous beauty of human individuality.

 

     Whatever writing style brings you to that place of passion in words, write it, because that is the main ingredient for good literature, our passion.           

 

 

Imogean~

Reviews

[JohnL]

Excellent piece of explanation which says a lot very concisely.
John

[Travis Lawrence]

What I was thinking during this, is how similar poetry is to any other art, especially music. There are endless combinations with music notes and our words, and there are always new ways to phrase them. Unless it's cliche, no way is more right than another to write poetry.

[Legion]

So true. I definetly agree. Especially that part where some will bore you to tears and so on.... I prefer quality over quantity as well. I have seen several on this site as well as others that pound out poem after poem. This isn't a problem in itself if the quality is good, but many are not and they don't seem to expand or try to improve either. It is the same type stuff over and over. Anyway, enough of my rant, good write and an opinion I can agree with.

[A.T.B.]

I read your piece screaming in my mind; the words exploded like cluster bombs; And then I got to the last sentence and read it; my eyes brightened and a smile bloomed on my face; the frown ebbed. There it is I thought, sighing in relief; there is my jewel among this pile of words. passion. And not a weakly passion either. A consuming passion that flows through your body like life. so much so that when a poem is germinating within, you feel as though you were pregnant. Indeed, it is your life you are laying on paper. Must meter matter. Not!

[Michael W. Farrelly]

Perfect. A friend once told me that the true defintion of poetry was Truth ( the Platonic ideal ) and that as long as we allow ourselves to see the reality and truth of our conditions for our writing then we engage in poetry. And yes, structured poetry with rhyme can be very corny, but if handled with passion and an understanding of the art can be incredible. But I also believe that true art is beyond classification or criticicism because a piece of art, be it poetry, painting, music, is an individuals expression and therfore can only be seen truly by it's creator. But again the old proble, anyone with a pile of bricks can build a house, but without understanding of form and symmetry can make a mess. Thanks for sharing this write.

[justjenn_2u]

This was interesting to me. I have never figured out what my "style" of poetry writing is. Maybe one day I will. But you show an appreciation for poetry without judgement before reading it. Very intriguing.

[Eagle Cruagh]

This is a wonderful treatise on
poetry .

----- Eagle Cruagh

[Raef C. Boylan]

Well this is a positive piece and very right in its sentiment; we often regard rhyming work as being more amateur or 'corny' than the non-rhyming...and this is often the case, but it's also often not. Poetry began as a rhyming form of expression, and as the centuries have passed, I imagine it's getting harder to write an amazing piece which both follows a rhyme scheme and is original - so we should be more admiring of those who achieve this, and not attempt to coax them into re-writing a free-flowing version of it. There is more craft involved, as you say, when following a strict struture...and also more discipline.

Having said this, and having been relieved to read that you are endorsing quality and not instructing us to praise everbody's work to the skies, rhyming can lead to limitations in expression and I tend to avoid it for this reason. If I read a poem where the same thing appears to happen, I generally suggest having a go at writing it without the rhyme, just to see if they can pull their initial ideas back into focus.

You kept this article short, clear and objective - and I appreciate it.

Thanks for posting this.

[THERISA]

Poetry reflects the inner conflicts or emotions of the writer at that given time. Know that this is the case, when i am writing my poetry. Think some reviewers are totally hooked on the notion of grammar and don't look at the message that is coming across to the reader. Hate having to place that disclaimer on every single one of my works. My poems are one shot deals, rarely do i go back and rework them. The magic or reason for my writing has moved on. Thank you for posting your thoughts about writing, for all of us to read.

Therisa

[laceyjane23]

thank you for your thoughts!! i agree that our passion makes great literature, thank you for the tips!
Laceyjane