Be the Change

Give me your oddballs!

(This is all just my personal opinion. Feel free to disagree!)

I love experimental, strange, contemporary poetry. I love not understanding something the first time I read it. I love reading a poem that makes me react like, "What the heck was that??"

It can be hard to find poetry like this. I often find it in a newbie's port . . . and often with about 2 stars as an average. I think there's a general lack of appreciation for experimental poetry. And by "experimental," I mean off-the-wall, NOT someone trying some decades old form they've never tried before.

I respect strict forms and rhyme schemes. I really do. I just personally find them to be stifling. I have such a difficult time writing within a strict format (which is why I highly respect anyone who can do it!) that I prefer free verse when writing poetry.

I understand respecting past styles, but I also think it's time we embrace those wishing to find their own style, don't you?? If you open a bood on contemporary poetry (or even modern or post-modern poetry), you're not going to find a whole lot of sonnets, ghazals, villanelles, etc. You'll find a lot of unrhymed, unstructured poetry that takes more than one reading to even attempt to comprehend. (For instance, I wrote about the Cobra movement in a Poetry NL a few years back: "Poetry Newsletter (October 3, 2007)" )

So where is the audience for experimental poetry that embraces non-conventional styles? I believe there are a few of us here, and I wanted to create a place those experimental poets can find at least one of those readers.

If you write poetry that doesn't seem to fit in the "mainstream" or that defies conventional structures, post it here:

Modern Poetry  (ASR) Submit your poetry that doesn't quite fit in the mainstream. #1592091 by spidey