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 Poetry: June 29, 2005 Issue [#452] |
  Poetry This week: Edited by: John~Ashen   More Newsletters By This Editor   1. About this Newsletter 2. A Word from our Sponsor 3. Letter from the Editor 4. Editor's Picks 5. A Word from Writing.Com 6. Ask & Answer 7. Removal instructions  Poetry! It comes in all styles and meanings. Some poems express personal feelings; others demonstrate a particular pattern. Most of us write some combination in between. I'll be offering advice on different styles and pointing out techniques to improve your poems. Enjoy  --John~Ashen   Iron Chef Poetry Guess what TV show I was watching when I tried to come up with my newsletter topic. That's right... Iron Chef! On that esteemed program, talented cooks from all over the world come to challenge the pride of the Gourmet Academy in a culinary cook-off. The host chooses a mystery food which both chefs must use as a main ingredient. The winner is the one "who best articulates the theme ingredient" by making as many quality dishes as they can within an hour. In poetry, food is generally used as a sensual metaphor. Let us not use food in this moment to glorify other things, though. Let us celebrate food itself. I am remembering a scene from City of Angels in which Meg Ryan was asked to describe to Nicholas Cage how a pear tastes. Immediately it was hard to describe taste and texture with mere language. However, given a pause to gather momentum, Meg's character rambled out some words and was pleasantly surprised at the poetry of her answer. Can you capture the spirit of a food and display it in a poem? If you think you're a master, or you just want a fun quest, well here it is : I challenge you to write up to three poems celebrating food. The theme ingredients are salad, spaghetti, and ice cream. Pick an easy one to try, or show your skill and give me a full course meal to read. Each poem should feature only one of the theme ingredients. Oh, yeah. The best in each category will win 10,000 GPs and be featured in next month's newsletter. The winning poems will be the ones which best display and celebrate the spirits of salad, spaghetti, and ice cream. Send me links to your entries, either as an item submission below, or in email. I'll run a search on "Food/Cooking" "Poetry" also, so include that genre.  John~Ashen 
Tons of taste at the right price...free!
Here's an example of a concrete poem:
Review this morsel & give the author his just desserts 
Has there ever been a poem this cheesy?
This one's spicier than your ordinary fare...
No, it's not about a New Zealand native!
I managed to save the best for last:
Submit an item for consideration in this newsletter! http://www.Writing.Com/main/newsletters.php?action=nli_form  Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter! http://www.Writing.Com/main/newsletters.php?action=nli_form Don't forget to support our sponsor!
 Halo  wonders: I've recenly received a review where someone mentioned that the strict form (rhyme and syllabic scheme) of my poem was contradictory and detrimental to its heavy emotional context. I see a point in it, but I'd love to hear some more opinions. So...Are there, in your opinion, certain do's and dont's concerning the interplay between form and content?Response: Well, a few immediate guidelines come to mind. Firstly, there are certain forms (the limerick, most obviously) set up to invite comedy. The rhyme scheme teases the reader's suspense as he tries to guess the paired words. The change of line length is what sets up the punchline. For more thoughtful or serious poems, you probably don't need rhyme or regular meter. You want the reader to pay attention to each word, not get caught up in the beat. Thus a haiku necessarily does not rhyme. For a longer poem like a ballad or ode, you should definitely have strong rhythm and (I recommend) rhyme. The flowing predictability will encourage the reader to give your long work a chance until the plot hooks them. You could then wean the reader off hard rhymes (relaxing to softer pairs that call little attention to themselves), but keep the meter steady. ** Image ID #541381 Unavailable **  Have a question or comment for the Editor? http://www.Writing.Com/main/newsletters.php?action=nli_form
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