There are some things you may not know
when it comes to poetry – a few misconceptions that may discourage some from reading (or writing). So let me set the record straight on just a few of these – You don’t have to be Shakespeare or W. B. Yeats to write a bit of poetry. You don’t have to be a scholar or a romantic sap to read poetry. Poetry doesn’t have to be an endless column of lines that just reach on and on and on, covering page after page after page, thick chunks of text, lengthy lines of prose-like poetry that flow in one long uninterrupted stanza of flourishing, flowery language that can make it hard to figure out what exactly is being said. (Which is yet another misapprehension: the conviction that poesy demands to be composed using grandiloquent vocabulary – in that regard, thou art mistaken.) Nor does poetry need least amount words possible. Poetry can speak directly – say exactly what’s meant. Or a chicken can speak for a donkey (I’ll let the ants speak for themselves). Not all poetry has to rhyme – or, at least, not all the time. (Once you start you’ll have no peace because once you start it’s hard to cease!) A haiku doesn’t have to be three separate ideas or phrases. You can have more than one, as well, put together to make one poem. “There once was a man from Nantucket...” (Does anyone actually know the rest of this poem? I don’t.) Now let’s talk about the poem above – a limerick. The fact that they’re dirty is a frequent gimmick; but they don’t have to be, they’re often just funny, whichever you choose to create is your pick. I’ve rambled on too far, I know – I’m surprised you’ve stuck with me this far. For that I say “Thanks!” and I hope you enjoyed learning the truth about poetry from the method I employed. (See! I’m rhyming again! It’s hard to stop!) Kathleen a.k.a. the girl who had a lot of fun writing this poem (but had a very hard time not rhyming the entire thing)
5 Comments
Kathy Mac
8/25/2017 09:06:16 pm
There was an old man from Nantucket
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Jazz
7/25/2018 01:05:56 pm
Hi! This is absolutely fantastic and sums up my thoughts about writing poetry perfectly. I'm currently writing a dissertation for my MA program about reducing language learner anxiety through the use of creative writing. I held a creative writing workshop not so long ago and one of the things I wanted to establish was that poetry offers a lot more creative freedom than most people realise. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is please may I reference this in my dissertation? I'd just need your surname if that'd be okay.
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Evan
7/25/2018 01:41:11 pm
Hi Jazz,
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Jazz
8/7/2018 04:26:18 pm
Thank you so much for your help! Leave a Reply. |
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