If you’ve been following along, you might recall me saying (time and again) that I’m not much for long-form writing. I’m not much for long-form reading, either, so I guess there’s a connection.
Rather than write the Great American Novel I always dreamed of writing a single-page print ad that was just as memorable and impactful.
Rather than script a great play or movie, I labored over every word that went into a 30-second tv commercial or 60-second radio spot.
Why? Maybe it’s attention span. I always blamed it on that anyway. It might also be impatience. I don’t want to wait too long to finish a project or to see someone’s reaction. Could you imagine writing a movie and having to wait two or three hours to get someone’s reaction? Or a novel and having to wait days or weeks for someone to get through it? No, nope, uh-uh.
I like short. Mostly short. Bordering on medium. The medium-rare of word count, I suppose.
Anyway, that’s an ironically long way to say that I love poetry. Love to read it, love to write it. I’m not big on critiquing it or perfecting a poem as many “in the craft” like to do. I spend a fair amount of time on it while inspired (finding the right words, metaphors, scheme, line breaks, structure, etc.) but prefer to belt it out in the moment and when the moment’s over, move on. Next moment is coming.
Here is where I drop a plug to my new page on this site called “Poems”.
Check it out in the Menu list under the main image.
Boring page name but hopefully you like the content.
I’ll keep adding new editions to this page as I get opportunities to write more.
Poetry isn’t about perfection. In fact, I believe it’s exactly the opposite. Poetry is about reaction and inspiration. See something, say something. It’s raw. It’s emotional. It’s immediate. Create an image in someone’s mind to describe what you saw, how you felt, what it made you think about.
If you search online for “poetry” you might find photos of fancy writing set-ups on an antique desk, or laptops in coffee shops, or colorful journals with fountain pens. I don’t find that to be the case. I have scribbles on torn pieces of paper. I have old-school little spiral flip notepads. I have things in my Apple Notes app. I’ve had voice recordings because I needed to capture the words and idea while driving. Writing can be ugly business because it’s often spontaneous. I don’t say “let me sit down in a coffeehouse and be creative for the next 20 minutes so I can be inspired.” Nope, instead when inspiration hits you have to be ready to lock it down.
You might read some of my poems and think “oh, boy, that was dark” or “what the hell was he thinking?” That’s ok. Sometimes inspiration comes at emotional times. When I was younger I used to write a lot late at night. Who knows what my frame-of-mind or mental status was at that time. But I can’t delete writing later on in life and say “that was an unhappy time”. It’s life and it’s raw. No regrets.
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My favorite poets are the ones who just paint a mental picture using words, metaphors, analogies, and powerful mental imagery. Sure there’s rhyme scheme if you want to add it, but that’s not even necessary. It adds degree of difficulty and some complexity in writing, if you’re into that.
Robert Frost is the GOAT. The Tom Brady, Larry Bird, Ted Williams and Bobby Orr of poetry. He just seemingly wrote little stories that enabled you to imagine the scene, and a million different readers could imagine a million different versions, but we all saw something OTHER than words on the page. Throw in some powerful metaphors to make it fresh and interesting, show us life from a different angle, and voila — greatness. Spend a few minute reading “Birches” or “Fireflies In The Garden“.
When I was in college at SMU, Jack Myers was my poetry professor and he was a great influence. I remember him telling me to “just write down what’s in your head, there’s no wrong answer.” He would review our work and make suggestions on whether a metaphor was working or not, too much of a stretch at times, but he always enjoyed seeing what people would write about. He was also a Massachusetts guy so we had that in common. Check out “Cirrus” or “Dark Matter” for a couple examples of his work.
Here’s a controversial one, but one of my favorite poets is Eminem. Yes, THAT Eminem. His writing and rhyme scheme is ridiculously complex and clever. I don’t endorse everything he writes or says but we can say that about any author. His lyrics, though, are truly genius. Check out the words to his hit “Stan”. Just focus on the verses and not the repeating chorus. Next check out “Without Me”. Again focus on the verse not the chorus.
If you’re really ambitious (and, well, you’ve made it this far) check out this video that was created 10 years ago and focuses on rhyme scheme overall. You’ll notice the title is called “Rhyme: Why Eminem is one of the most impressive lyricists ever” so that gives away some of the build-up. I encourage you to watch the whole video as it’s fascinating, but if you’re impatient (like me) and not into long-form (like me) you can skip ahead to the 2:57 mark in the video where he shifts the discussion to Eminem’s writing ability.
Well, go ahead and enjoy the poems linked here, and if so-inclined take a look at my own. Judgement-free zone, folks. They’re just words, right?