Over the last few months, I have been reading deeply in contemporary poetry. At the same time, I have also been generating pages and pages of raw material for my own poems. Whenever I resume this process of study and creative effort, I have the sense that I am missing some vital ingredient, some secret knowledge that would improve the results of my creative endeavor. So I have also found myself eagerly devouring books on the art of writing poetry.
Most of my previous poetry writing tended toward prose poetry, with some intuitive metrical moments thrown in. Mainly this style was due to my inability to master metrics. Periodically I would give metrics some attention, but usually give up on direct study after a few weeks. I'm feeling a sense of creative pressure right now to finally bear down and figure it out, even it takes a substantial time investment. I would also like to experiment with traditional forms in a much more expansive way then ever before.
Here's where things stand at right this moment: I have decided to take a get-back-to-basics approach. The plan is to see what happens if I start from scratch and act as if I am a beginning poet, asking the real naïve questions, and pushing hard to understand the history, definitions, and skills of writing metrical verse.
By no means, will I be limiting my exploration to metrics alone. It is my goal to be open to experimentation in every area of the poetic toolbox. I hope to acquire wide variety of new options in my writing, opening every opportunity as if for the first time.
As I take this journey, my copious notes, favorite quotes, unearthed definitions, and vigorous exercises will be written down. I plan to keep a running journal of my discoveries and realizations. You are invited to take the journey with me.
Notes and Exercises based on The Poet’s Handbook by Judson Jerome, Writer’s Digest Books (1980)
Line Breaks
Jerome’s commentary: “Rhetorical line breaks generally make for rather dull poetry. If. . . regarded as poetry at all, they would have to be called free verse.” (26) Jerome also noted a trend in early 20th century poetry, written in free-verse, using primarily rhetorical breaks.
Rhetorical: ”Line breaks that coincide with natural pauses or units of meaning--phrases or sentences or single words set off for emphasis.” (26)
Free Verse: ”lines that are of any length the poet chooses, without any set measure (or meter). “ (26)
Closed Lines: lines that have closure and resolve tension. Closed lines break at the end of phrases or complete sentences, making the meaning easily understood. (27)
Exercise (4-10-05): Try using some rhetorical line breaks, using closed lines, not enjambment.
Rich
Reality
is something that you rise above!
We don’t see things
as they are,
we see them
as we are.
Avoiding danger
is no safer
in the long run.
The fearful
fall
foul
of fate
as often as
the reckless.
--Hogarth, from a Marillion song entitled “Rich” on the album Marillion.com (1999).
Feline Mind
Paw prints lead
out of the house
and disappear
into high grass.
Late at night
head lights reveal
flicker of eyes
reflecting red.
Trying to sleep,
you wake to the sound
of claws clicking on metal,
and think,
How unearthly!
Their words
are wind
rolling in their throats
and they can push that wind
to blow you over
with a hiss.
Their cries
are the sawing
of violin strings
rising and rising
and then
trailing down
to silence.
Try to decipher
the curling
and waving
of their tails
like the wind blown
weeping willow branches.
Stare in their eyes
and search for their souls
and feign exchange
with their alien minds.
--Keith Badowski, reworking lines from a poem dated 1988.
Enjambment: “lines are deliberately broken in such a way as to tug against meaning. They keep jerking your around the corner to complete the phrases rather than letting you rest at the ends of phrases.” ”the use of runover lines.” “Enjambment heightens tension.” (27)
Exercise (4-10-05): Try free-verse lines, using enjambment to create tension.
Rich
Reality
is something that you rise
above
we don’t see
things as they
are we see
them as
we are avoiding
danger is no
safer in the long
run the fearful
fall foul
of fate as
often as
the reckless.
--Hogarth, from a Marillion song entitled “Rich” on the album Marillion.com (1999).
Feline Mind
Paw prints lead out
into high
grass. Late at
night, head
lights reveal red
flickering
eyes. Trying
to sleep, clicking
claws on metal, raise
the thought,
How unearthly!
Wind in
throats are words
grinding inside where
they can push
wind to blow
you over with
a hiss.
Their cries are sawing
like a violin
bow, such
friction rising and then
trailing
down to
silence.
Try to decipher the curling
of tails waving
like the wind
blown weeping
willow branches.
Searching for
souls, stare
into silted
orbs, feigning
exchange with their
alien minds.
--Keith Badowski, reworking lines from a poem dated 1988.
Note to myself: I noticed when working with enjambment that it inspired me to change some of the wording, cut unnecessary words, and drop some punctuation. It was as if by attempting to create tension in one way (enjambment), my subconscious discovered other options as well. For example in the last stanza, I changed "eyes" to "silted/orbs". In the Hogarth text, I ran together the words "run the fearful". Whether these changes are improvements is beside the point. I see it as a good reminder that a variety of revision strategies will always reveal new opportunities for innovation.
Most of my previous poetry writing tended toward prose poetry, with some intuitive metrical moments thrown in. Mainly this style was due to my inability to master metrics. Periodically I would give metrics some attention, but usually give up on direct study after a few weeks. I'm feeling a sense of creative pressure right now to finally bear down and figure it out, even it takes a substantial time investment. I would also like to experiment with traditional forms in a much more expansive way then ever before.
Here's where things stand at right this moment: I have decided to take a get-back-to-basics approach. The plan is to see what happens if I start from scratch and act as if I am a beginning poet, asking the real naïve questions, and pushing hard to understand the history, definitions, and skills of writing metrical verse.
By no means, will I be limiting my exploration to metrics alone. It is my goal to be open to experimentation in every area of the poetic toolbox. I hope to acquire wide variety of new options in my writing, opening every opportunity as if for the first time.
As I take this journey, my copious notes, favorite quotes, unearthed definitions, and vigorous exercises will be written down. I plan to keep a running journal of my discoveries and realizations. You are invited to take the journey with me.
Notes and Exercises based on The Poet’s Handbook by Judson Jerome, Writer’s Digest Books (1980)
Line Breaks
Jerome’s commentary: “Rhetorical line breaks generally make for rather dull poetry. If. . . regarded as poetry at all, they would have to be called free verse.” (26) Jerome also noted a trend in early 20th century poetry, written in free-verse, using primarily rhetorical breaks.
Rhetorical: ”Line breaks that coincide with natural pauses or units of meaning--phrases or sentences or single words set off for emphasis.” (26)
Free Verse: ”lines that are of any length the poet chooses, without any set measure (or meter). “ (26)
Closed Lines: lines that have closure and resolve tension. Closed lines break at the end of phrases or complete sentences, making the meaning easily understood. (27)
Exercise (4-10-05): Try using some rhetorical line breaks, using closed lines, not enjambment.
Rich
Reality
is something that you rise above!
We don’t see things
as they are,
we see them
as we are.
Avoiding danger
is no safer
in the long run.
The fearful
fall
foul
of fate
as often as
the reckless.
--Hogarth, from a Marillion song entitled “Rich” on the album Marillion.com (1999).
Feline Mind
Paw prints lead
out of the house
and disappear
into high grass.
Late at night
head lights reveal
flicker of eyes
reflecting red.
Trying to sleep,
you wake to the sound
of claws clicking on metal,
and think,
How unearthly!
Their words
are wind
rolling in their throats
and they can push that wind
to blow you over
with a hiss.
Their cries
are the sawing
of violin strings
rising and rising
and then
trailing down
to silence.
Try to decipher
the curling
and waving
of their tails
like the wind blown
weeping willow branches.
Stare in their eyes
and search for their souls
and feign exchange
with their alien minds.
--Keith Badowski, reworking lines from a poem dated 1988.
Enjambment: “lines are deliberately broken in such a way as to tug against meaning. They keep jerking your around the corner to complete the phrases rather than letting you rest at the ends of phrases.” ”the use of runover lines.” “Enjambment heightens tension.” (27)
Exercise (4-10-05): Try free-verse lines, using enjambment to create tension.
Rich
Reality
is something that you rise
above
we don’t see
things as they
are we see
them as
we are avoiding
danger is no
safer in the long
run the fearful
fall foul
of fate as
often as
the reckless.
--Hogarth, from a Marillion song entitled “Rich” on the album Marillion.com (1999).
Feline Mind
Paw prints lead out
into high
grass. Late at
night, head
lights reveal red
flickering
eyes. Trying
to sleep, clicking
claws on metal, raise
the thought,
How unearthly!
Wind in
throats are words
grinding inside where
they can push
wind to blow
you over with
a hiss.
Their cries are sawing
like a violin
bow, such
friction rising and then
trailing
down to
silence.
Try to decipher the curling
of tails waving
like the wind
blown weeping
willow branches.
Searching for
souls, stare
into silted
orbs, feigning
exchange with their
alien minds.
--Keith Badowski, reworking lines from a poem dated 1988.
Note to myself: I noticed when working with enjambment that it inspired me to change some of the wording, cut unnecessary words, and drop some punctuation. It was as if by attempting to create tension in one way (enjambment), my subconscious discovered other options as well. For example in the last stanza, I changed "eyes" to "silted/orbs". In the Hogarth text, I ran together the words "run the fearful". Whether these changes are improvements is beside the point. I see it as a good reminder that a variety of revision strategies will always reveal new opportunities for innovation.
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