 Last month we looked at some ways to define poetry . I would like to
make a brief addendum
to that article before I move on to the topic for this month.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN POETRY AND PROSE
Those readers who are seeking examples of comparisons between poetry
and prose
would benefit from reading chapter 17 of Michael J. Bugeja's book, "The Art and Craft
of Poetry", ISBN 0-89879-633-4. A notable difference between poetry
and prose is that
poetry has a different structure than does prose. Prose is made up of
sentences and paragraphs,
as opposed to the verses and stanzas that make up poetry. Good prose
requires correct grammar,
punctuation, and proper sentence construction - the kind of writing
that is used to construct
noteworthy novels and textbooks. Poetry, on the other hand is not bound
by the same strict
rules, for it may make use of incomplete sentences to create the
verses and stanzas which
give shape to a poem and draw attention to specific words, ideas and
images. A poem
might even contain prosaically questionable grammar if the end justifies
the means,
i.e. if, for a desired effect, the poet deems it necessary to deviate
from the rules that
govern good prose. One thing is certain - if a piece of writing has no
form at all,
then it is certainly not poetry.
For readers that are seeking examples of prose, try reading a page
from a standard history
text book, a novel or a business letter. For examples of poetry,
read poetry anthologies.
And, now for this month's topic...WHAT AM I TRYING TO SAY ? So we are ready to start writing a poem... - well, are we ? We might feel some sort of unction from within, a sense of inspiration, a burning desire to express ourselves, to describe a feeling, an emotion or an observation - something we have sensed is worthy of communicating in the pithy and profound manner of a good poem. However, until we are sure of exactly what it is that we are wanting to communicate, we will be unable to write a poem, because a poem is much more disciplined than loose thoughts, feelings and emotions. It has clear direction, and its existence requires that the poet must first have experienced an epiphany, or "moment of truth". Epiphanies arrive usually only after serious thought, provoked by notable events in our lives. Sometimes however, an epiphany pops up, against the daily milieu of fairly mindless activity. Almost without warning we may sense inspiration, and find ourselves wanting to capture our moment of truth with language - to express it in words that will make the enlightenment of our discovery memorable to the reader. Whatever the stimulus we receive to write poetry, the most important question we should continue to ask ourselves is, "What am I trying to say ?", regardless of how long it takes us to arrive at our conclusion. We will not be able to communicate anything worthwhile unless we have a clear idea of what it is that we wish to say, which is difficult enough, but the hardest work is to decide exactly how to say it. There are so many options open to the poet... FORM AND ORGANIZATION What form should the poem assume ? Should it be free verse, a sonnet, haiku a villanelle or some other format ? How should it be organized - should it be strophic, ( organized by stanzas ), or stichic, ( organized by lines ) ? Unless the poet has already decided on these before beginning writing it often takes several drafts before a suitable form or organization takes shape, although, occasionally, a first draft shows immediate potential for a particular format. In a future article I hope to address, in greater depth, the issues of form and organization, but, for those readers who would like to read further about them, I have included two informative references : Chapter 17 of "How to Write a Poem", ( ISBN 0-531-11252-7 ), by Margaret Ryan Chapter 19 of " The Art and Craft of Poetry", ( ISBN 0-89879-633-4 ), by Michael J. Bugeja. THE SEEDS OF A POEM Writing a particularly difficult poem might take a lifetime, indeed some poems never reach completion, but usually, our diligent efforts at poetic expression will be rewarded soon enough as we continue to strive after the essence of our epiphanies. So, before we actually create a poem, what can we do to capture those epiphanies - those moments of truth so precious to us, before they disappear from our thoughts , and the fires of inspiration burn less brightly ? SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR GATHERING THOSE SEEDS
FOCUSING ON A THEME Once we have gathered our thoughts, they will need to be refined. To do so we must get into the nutshell of our thoughts and extract from it its essence - that which is our primary idea or discovery - this is our epiphany, and it is from this foundational thought or truth that our poem should be constructed. Just as a well written story must have a central theme, or a decent photograph a main subject of focus, a well written poem will require a main thought or idea, otherwise it will be directionless, (as is a joke without a punchline ), and therefore worthless. DRAFTING AND REDRAFTING Once we have decided on our theme and our epiphany is clear to us we are ready to begin a true first draft, after the completion of which we ought to find ourselves in a process of revision : reading, re - reading, checking and improving . Excellence will come through redrafting, which requires much patience, for the creation of poetry is a laborious task. We must not shy away from the self - discipline that is exercised in the revisional part of a poem's creation, unless we are satisfied to content ourselves with a mediocre effort. The end purpose of a poem is that it should have an audience - someone should be able to read and appreciate what the poet has written. A mediocre poem, that is thrown together in haste, is seldom going to bring about a sense of appreciation in the reader. In fact, it will likely generate disappointment, and cause the reader to judge the poet as incompetent. It is difficult to minister to someone through poetry if the writer lacks a sense of care and concern for doing the job well. How can one show concern for another person through a doggerel ? No one is going to find a barnstorming revelation in : His blood ran red From wounds black and blue... I've come to share that The Lord He loves you. I wrote that doggerel in less than a minute, and even then it required a little redrafting to avoid being complete nonsense. As I think about the importance of doing a job excellently, I can't help being reminded of 1 Cor. 10 : 31, which exhorts us to do whatever we do for the glory of God. If we consider a first draft sufficient, simply because we cannot endure the tough process of revision, we make ourselves mediocre,and we do our readers a grave injustice. Therefore, may we continue to strive after excellence in poetry. Bibliography: How to Write a Poem, copyright 1996, by Margaret Ryan, ISBN 0-531-11252-7 How To Interpret Poetry, copyright 1995, by Laurie E. Rozakis Ph.D. ISBN 0-02-860309-5 The Art and Craft of Poetry, copyright 1994, by Michael J. Bugeja ISBN 0-89879-633-4 A Poetry Handbook , copyright 1994, by Mary Oliver ISBN 0-15-672400-6 Conversations On Writing Fiction , by Alexander Neubauer The Elements of Style, copyright 1979, Allyn & Bacon, by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White ISBN 0-205-19158-4 NEXT MONTH: IN SEARCH OF INSPIRATION . FIGURES OF SPEECH, IMAGERY, ONOMATOPOEIA AND OTHER DESCRIPTIVE TECHNQUES...
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