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Poetry Newsletter Dec 1, 2004, rest of survey |
| Since I was fighting strep infection last month, my backup newletter was used in place of the rest of the survey results concerning what others think poetry is or should be. Therefore, I'll finish that this week. Thank you for all the responses for the Pantoum form. editor next week: John~Ashen  What Poetry Is to Others I opened a survey to members of Writing.Com. Here are the remaining results: 1. What components or aspects are necessary for good poetry? Becky Simpson  : imagery, flow, meter, rhyme, and imagination - clear images or emotions that pull me into the stream of the flow that brings us to an idea either with analogies or similes or some tool that leaves in us a picture of what the poet meant. Shanachie : emtional content. imagerystarfyre: Emotion, imagery, and flow. Lexi : Imagery and description can help draw the reader in because they are able to visualize the poem. Showing someone is always better than simply telling them.John~Ashen : It needs to be non-prosaic. That is, told in special language that you wouldn't normally hear in conversation.prasjara1: Emotions and wording. gemini_87: A strong emotion or an intended reaction for the reader. Something to make the reader feel. bluemoon760: Having the words "twisted" into interesting phrases(sentences, sentence fragments, etc.) teardrop : There has to be a reason behind writing it. You can't just sit down and say, "I'm going to write a poem." You have to spark some sort of passion in yourself to write true, good poetry. 2. How would you define "poetry"? Becky Simpson : as the essence of writing concise extremely structured sentences that convey with clear images, emotions, or ideas of the poet. Shanachie : a group of words put together in lines and/or stanzas that convey a feeling, tells a story, or makes a point. it may or may not rhyme. starfyre: Putting the right words in the right order! Lexi : For me personally, poetry is expressing thoughts and ideas in a way that evokes emotion in the reader. John~Ashen : writing that uses unusual language or any special devices (rhyme, meter, alliteration, etc.) to express ideas in a manner creative beyond everyday phrasing prasjara1: Poetry is the form through which you can express your own emotions, freely. gemini_87: Self expression through the use of concise, imaginative words, which creates a vivid emotion or image for the reader. bluemoon760: Having the words "twisted" into interesting phrases(sentences, sentence fragments, etc.) teardrop : Poetry can be a lot of things. I think that it should have a loose definition -- if a writer feels s/he is writing poetry, then it is poetry from that point forward. 3. If a poem doesn't have punctuation and/or capitalization, how do you understand where thoughts begin or end? Becky Simpson : It's next to impossible because the very nature of poetry makes such things as commas ultimate tools of expression. Shanachie : stanzas or line breaksstarfyre: Unless there are short stanzas, I can't! Lexi : Sometimes it can be difficult to distinguish when one thought ends and a new one begins when a poem doesn't contain any captializiation or punctuation. John~Ashen : The author should using spacing in that case. (either indents or line skips)prasjara1: The poem will portray the emotions. gemini_87: I find that I can't usually tell where thoughts begin or end. I get the feeling that some authors are just too lazy to punctuate poetry. Some people don't use punctuation, but they complete a thought in one line before carrying on to the next. I've read some fabulous poems where the ideas run into each other, but it creates a really fluid poem. bluemoon760: By the tone of the poem, by the way the author words things, or some other way that the author so geniusly thought up. teardrop : A lot of the time, that might be the aim of the writer -- to make the reader interpret the poem in their own way. Sometimes capitalization and punctuation interrupt too much the flow of the poem, and that can hurt the poem as a whole. 4. What do you not like to see in poetry? Becky Simpson : Unclear images or emotions that pull me into the stream of the flow and end in a blind alley. It can be a fast rapids flow or a lazy meandering flow, but eventually it must bring us to an idea, either with analogies or similes or some tool that leaves us with a picture of what the poet wanted us to see. Shanachie : nothing really. I am very open to trying to read everything.starfyre: Irregular line lengths or stanza lengths or forced rhyme. It tells me that no effort was made to rewrite the poem and make it readable. Also, I intensely dislike "angst". Lexi : I don't like to see forced rhyme or a screaming poem all typed in caps. If a poem has tons of errors it is hard to focus on. John~Ashen : I don't like to see a lot of repetition (that's for songs, and boring to read unless the chorus changes) and I don't like to see a bunch of questions (the poet should be telling, not asking) prasjara1: I don't like to see a poem badly punctuated, no emotions, no meaning and says evil is good. I don't like it because well, it won't be a poem at all and a poem saying "Victory of the Evil" is the worst. gemini_87: Usually vulgarity. What you can say with a curse word can often be better expressed with nicer words. bluemoon760: I don't like modern poetry that uses "thee", "thy", and "thine," or other archaic nonsense. You are not writing in the 17th century, you are writing in the 21st. I think that modern poetry should be modern, whether style-wise it is classic or not. teardrop : I don't like to see people who are trying hard to rhyme. Either your poetry will rhyme almost of its own accord or it won't rhyme at all. When you have to go to the rhyming dictionary for every line, there's something wrong -- and the reader can pick up on it. 5. If poetry is obscure or unclear, do you like it or dislike it? Why? Becky Simpson : I dislike it; it becomes impossible to hold a clear image of the poet's central meaning. Shanachie : if its something i can't understand, i don't normally like it. i have to be able to relate to something to read it but i will re-read something if i don't understand it the first time. starfyre: I seldom like it. It's hard to tell where a poem is going, if I can't tell where it's been! Lexi : It really depends. I tend to like it because it challenges my mind.John~Ashen : I don't mind there being room for multiple meanings. I appreciate when the meaning isn't blatantly obvious, too, but if it's too muddled, no one will ever enjoy it. So don't be too obtuse! prasjara1: I'll ask the author/poet once about the poem, if I still don't understand, I don't like the poem. Simply because how can I R&R a poem which has no meaning, according to me? gemini_87: There is no yes or no answer for this question. It all depends on the poem, and how the author used the obscurity in their poems. It can be unnerving, or thought provoking. bluemoon760: I completely depends on the poem. I like it if that has to do with the poem's content (such as a poem about confusion, indecision, failure to see, etc.), but if it's just the poet's failure to get their idea across, I dislike it. Jean Cocteau once said "The worst tragedy for a poet is to be admired through being misunderstood." teardrop : It all depends on how it makes me as an individual feel. If it's obscure and I still feel its a powerful or right-on read, I like it. If it's obscure simply to be obscure, I usually wish the writer had set a few more boundaries for him or herself to help others understand and enjoy his or her work.6. What is your favorite type of poetry to read? To write? Why? Becky Simpson : I typically write fairly structured works - sorry I have no idea of the proper names. Free Verse to me, unless it is well written, is a useless exercise in frustration. Shanachie : i will read just about everything. i write free verse when i do write mostly because i spend enough time conforming to rules in my prose.starfyre: Those with emotion and imagery dealing with nature, sensuality, patriotism, etc, and with some rhyme or structure. Lexi : Romance, love, melodrama, and relationship poetry are my favorite.John~Ashen : I prefer rhymed poetry about relationships, both to read and to write. Rhyming is the easiest device to use, but I can automatically screen out lesser talents when I see them using the boring cliche rhymes. prasjara1: Free Verse and Acrostic. Free Verse because it has no limitations and the poet can go to any extent without worrying about rhym, meter etc. Acrostic because I love writing it and reading it gives me ideas for other forms of poetry. gemini_87: I usually write free verse and more recently haiku. I like to read all kinds of poetry, but I'm most impressed with rhyming forms of poetry, I find it quite hard to do and admire those who can. bluemoon760: I like to read poetry that moves me in some way, whether it be by the content of the poem, or by the way the words are formed;however, both have to be good in order for me to like it. To write, I like to do more modern types of poetry, straying from complete form. I guess I'm just trying to be like Richard Brautigan and Chuck Bukowski. : ) teardrop : I like to read just about any kind, but my favourite is poetry with a lot of feeling behind it, either freeverse or rhyming. I like poetry that's real to the author, whether it incorporates symbolism or not. That's also the kind I try to write. I get the feeling from such poems that there's a rawness in the piece, and it's a small glimpse inside another person's mind. Which is, in essence, what poetry is (at least in my opinion).7. What is your favorite poem on the site? (Those who entered this information were asked to give a bitem link, but some didn't give the link.) Becky Simpson :
Shanachie :
starfyre:
Lexi : Here are just a few of my favorites
John~Ashen : Whoa, too many favorites to go searching! I'll mention a recent favorite:
prasjara1: I awarded this poem, which is wonderfully written:
gemini_87: I have not yet found my favorite poem on this site... at least, I have not found one that stands out above all the rest, I could name several of the top poems I've read, but there isn't only one. bluemoon760:
8. Other comments: Becky Simpson : Good idea, sorry I am not the brightest star in the sky and could give you wonderful answers that would leave unmistable streaks of light others could follow to understand my meaning.....hmmm. Shanachie : this is a great idea for a survey!starfyre: Prose is for expanding ideas; poetry is for condensing ideas. Prose creates feelings and images through the mind; poetry is created by feelings and images through the heart! John~Ashen : Anyone has a right to define poetry for themselves. But if you want to impress other people with your Poetry (capital P!), be aware that you're entering the realm where traditional rules and cultural preferences override your personal definition. prasjara1: It's a wonderful survey and I enjoyed taking it! All the comments from a thirteen-year-old teenager. Thanks to all the people who returned the surveys, giving the comments for two newsletters. Highlighted Items This week, please visit the ports of those who responded to the survey. Some Poetry in Pantoum Form A whole folder of poetry:
Another Pantoum:
Your Feedback and a Question for Next Month Here's a question for you to answer for next time: What form {sonnet, free verse, blank verse, etc.} do you prefer and why? Please give a bitem link to a poem (yours or someone else's) that is a good example of that form of poetry. Until next time, keep reading and writing beautiful poetry.   |
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