Resembling a Poem

The Poetry of Micro-Stock Photography

2009-02-15T20:45:00.000-08:00

What do micro-stock photography and poetry have in common? Well, if you are like me, it's the "Hey, I can do that" first reaction. And then the "Darn, this is harder than I thought" a few weeks later.

After having all my favorite pictures rejected by iStockphoto I did a little reading, set up a really cheap studio, and started experimenting. I figure I won't start making money until sometime around 2012, but I'm having a lot of fun playing around with ideas and learning more about photography.

And that's a lot like poetry too.

Quads and The Reluctant Blogger

2008-08-08T21:48:00.000-07:00

Ok, time to admit that I'm not really keeping this blog up and running. It is more like up and snailing. There are reasons for this beyond my basically lazy nature. I'll go over them when I've got it straight in my head.

In the mean time, here is an old exercise I did for fun. You write four line poems ending in four letter words (most of the time) revolving around four consonants. I call them Quads.

You take a four letter word that can be reversed with similar consonant and vowel sounds. You also need to be able to set another pair up by only changing the vowel sounds. This gives you a set of four words to use as end rhymelikeness: time, mite, mate, and tame. You can also use longer words that end in the proper sounds, like stime, smite, estimate, and, um, tame. Exact sound matches are not necessary, but I think it works better when you keep it close.

Here are some examples, my better ones. I won't show you the really bad ones.

If I could be an act of love

I'd be the naked vole

who under darkness of the vale

builds a root enclave.

A newsprint kite

waddles behind a tike.

The wind will take

them soon, Kate.

The bird was male

and not lame,

but the act sublime.

I followed him a mile.

It is a very limiting form, and that is the beauty of it. You end up with junk, or ideas you would have never come up with if you were writing without constraints.

The Wish

2008-07-13T22:25:00.000-07:00

If a wish could fly

I'd lift my wings tip to tip

and rush into the sky,

the cool wind a sigh

against parted lips.

If a wish could fly

and the land go by and by

as wings whip

and rush into the sky,

I'd slip among the clouds to spy

a dream of rainbow drips.

If a wish could fly

I'd grab a star by eye,

it's promise in my grip,

and rush into the sky.

No where, no why,

only my heart skips,

'if a wish could fly

and rush into the sky.'

back thought

2008-05-09T16:33:00.000-07:00

I rest,
back to the up
eyes to the down
mind to the deep
black ground

around, around,
I came, but never the same
step took twice,
never a sane
interest found
in rest

More filler, I know. I'm busy reading poetry books and preparing for a potential new job. Another article soon, I promise.

Filler Poem Today (pun intended)

2008-05-02T20:22:00.000-07:00

Profundament

I've discovered a great profundity,

when I eat I gain rotundity.

When I diet I often lose a pound

but find it the following round.

The Poet and The Critic

2008-04-30T17:27:00.000-07:00

Have you ever submitted a poem for critique? The web is full of poetry forums. Some of them are dedicated to giving and receiving critiques. Many have boards dedicated to critique. Each has its own rules and mission.

Here are a few guidelines that should apply to all of them. Following them will help you get the most out of any forum.

Rules for the critic:

Read the poem once without being critical. Give it a chance.
Read the poem three times before starting your comments. More is better if it is a difficult poem.
Be honest. Trust the poet to know that you are discussing the poem.
Make sure you are discussing the poem and not the poet.
Resist the urge to entertain yourself at the expense of the poem. Clear and concise are more important than fun to read or write.
Understand the difference between a literary critique and a forum critique. The first is to help the reader, the second to help the poet. You want to help the poet.
If you want good critiques give good critiques. Put some thought and effort into what you say, and give more than you get.

Rules for the poet:

Post one poem at a time and spread them out over a reasonable period. If you dump on the forum you'll wear out your welcome and receive fewer quality critiques.
Refuse to take any comment personally, even if it is personal, especially if it is personal. Arguing with the critic is a no-win situation. If the comments are more than you can endure, contact a moderator privately and let them deal with the problem.
Give the critique some thought. You don't have to agree, but you should understand. The critique that completely misunderstood your poem may have the insight you need.
Always thank the critic. Ungrateful poets are uncritiqued poets.

Rules for the critique:

The subject of a poem is neither good nor bad. Stick to how well the subject is supported or presented.
How well you like/dislike a poem is critique only if you support it with examples and explanations.
Correcting grammar and punctuation is valid critique, but it is also the least valuable form of critique. Give your opinion, and back it up. Share insights about the structure or subject that may improve the poem. Suggest a technique that might apply. Be more than a reference book.
Learn the forum's formating commands. Use them to make the critique easy to read. Use quotes from the poem where applicable. Observe and follow the standards of the forums where you post.
Rewrite poems only if there is no better way to illustrate a point, and then only if it is an acceptable practice on that forum. If in doubt, ask.
Everyone has pet peeves and standard lectures. Be sure they apply before using them. Occasionally the poet really did know what they were doing.

Rules for the poem:

The poem should be your best effort. If you know how to improve it, do. Then post.
Check the spelling and grammar before you post.
Unless it is essential to the structure of the poem do not center align. It makes the poem harder to read. It also makes it harder to format a readable critic.
The poem must stand on its own. If you have to explain it then it wasn't ready to leave home. It it gets beat up wait until you get home to apply the bandages. Critique is a rough game.

Rules for the human: Caution, humans, highly fragile, this side up.

There is a person on the other end of that critique or poem. Fallible, opinionated, and prone to misunderstandings these creatures are attempting to communicate through the substantial barrier of the internet. Give them credit for tying and meet them halfway.
You can not learn if you are not willing to be wrong. Poems die in critiques. Sometimes the poetry dies too. Then, if you are lucky, you get to start all over again; a new poet, new poetry, and better for the experience.

Forgive your critics. Forgive yourself. Write on.

More About Poetry and What It Is.

2008-04-25T19:25:00.000-07:00

Last post I posed some questions about poetry that were intended to make you think. Today I'm going to give you my own ignoble and uninspired answers.

To balance the drudgery I've also provided a link to my workbook pages where I've been gathering other answers to "What is poetry?" I know I said you should come up with your own answer, but I never said it had to be an uninformed answer. I enjoyed many of these articles and I hope you will as well.

--------------------

What is poetry?

Poetry is the art of language.

Every art centers arround a medium. Painting is the art of light. Yes, I know they use paint, but that is because it was the most sophisticated way of manipulating color for many centuries. Modern painters often work with computers and manipulate light more directly. Sculpture is the art of shape. Dance is the art of human movement. Music is the art of sound. You can go on and on with a bit of thought.

Other types of writing can also be art, but they are not as directly connected to language as poetry. A novel is about the story, and I believe best described as the art of story telling. That is why it is much easier to translate a novel than a poem. A translated poem becomes a similar but new poem. A translated novel tells the same story.

So, I see poetry as the art of language. To me it means that every aspect of language is mine to manipulate, twist, and torture in the name of art. But it does pose a bigger question. What is art?

--------------------

Why do I write poetry?

I write poetry because I like the attention. Ok, that's not very noble, but after a great deal of navel gazing I have to admit that this is the core of my motivation. A distant second is that I enjoy writing poems.

If I really had some all important message to share I'd use prose. It's more effective. If I had some deep emotional need to express myself I'd write constantly. I only write when I think someone might read and like my stuff.

I wouldn't mind making money, but I don't have much hope for that endeavor. Besides, money is the ultimate proof of attention. That, and you can buy stuff with it.

--------------------

How do I write poetry?

My philosophy of poetry changes constantly and has too many side issues to cover fully here. I'll just list some of the highlights.

I try not to make excuses for the poem. I works or it doesn't.

The reader is more important than I am. What I meant to say is irrelevant. What I did or did not say is all that matters.

A poem is never finished. I've just lost interest in it for the time being.

I will always strive to be honest with myself and others. But I will lie my ass off to a poem if I think that will improve it in the slightest.

Poetry is about the poem, not my issues, my message, or the truth. I will sacrifice any of these to preserve and improve the poem.

I reserve the right to be inconsistent in my critiques, my poetry, and life in general. Why should I be chained to some silly philosophy of poetry.

Becoming a Better Poet: Part II

2008-04-22T13:37:00.000-07:00

For some, poetry is as much about introspection as it is observation and writing. If you're one of those poets I invite you to turn your thoughts to poetry and what it means to you. To help I've got three questions that can change your poetry forever.

What is poetry?

Forget that you've tried to answer this before. Forget that the greatest poets in history have fought bitterly about this, and still do. None of that is important. The reason you want to ask this question is to find out what you think poetry is, or what it should be.

How can you write a poem if you don't even know what a poem is? Sure, you are already writing poetry, but are you? Are you just putting words down on a page; line breaks because your supposed to, imagery because your supposed to, and everything else because that's what poetry is supposed to do.

Understanding poetry is the beginning of real sustainable creativity. Instead of tacking your impulse onto the half understood structures of poetry, you can build those structures and give your writing direction and purpose. What is poetry? It's the goal, and it's damn hard to reach if you don't know where it is.

Why do you write poetry?

Be honest with yourself, and please, please don't pull up some quote from a famous poet. They are poets. They are going to be metaphorical, probably exaggerate, and are far more interested in eulogizing their craft than giving you a helping hand. Besides, it is their reason and of no use to you.

Do yourself another favor and don't stop with 'I have to write.' This is a symptom, not an answer. Take it one step further and ask yourself why you have to write.

If you know why you write poetry you hold the key to your own motivation. If you've stopped writing you'll have a pretty good idea what you have to do to start again. When you are out of ideas you can ask yourself again, why am I writing? Chances are that you'll be able to brainstorm a dozen new poems on the spot. If you can't, go another round with question one.

How do you write poetry? Or as I like to say 'My Philosophy of Poetry.'

The other two questions are about self examination. This one is about self determination. What will and won't you do for the sake of poetry? What kind of person and poet will you be? What are your ethics, choice of style, your stance on clichés, and how will you handle critics? It's a catch all for every other choice you have to make when writing poetry. I won't even begin to tell you what to put here, except for one rule. The rule I end my own rambling list with.

I reserve the right to be inconsistent and just a bit hypocritical. I can and will change my mind whenever I want and as often as I want. The answers and rules I've written down here are not chains. I'm am still growing as a poet and the answers will grow with me.

The sin of poetry about poetry continues.

2008-04-20T22:01:00.000-07:00

Yes, more filler while I work on part two of how to become a better poet.

What the Heck am I Doing Here?

Getting your attention,

disbelief in suspension

I make a little vanity call

on insanity's door. It's all

an arrogant invention.

Sliding verbs and nouns around

making a beat of consonant sound.

The idea doesn't matter. I'm lazy,

and if it's good don't care if it's crazy.

Language is a playground.

Won't make no excuses, works is works,

don't help calling the readers jerks.

The goal, just make it better, period.

Change the comma or letter. No id

permitted where attention lurks.

Why do I write poetry?

What's a poem but a sophistry

of language turned art.

I had to make a punning start

at the philosophy of poetry.

Becoming a Better Poet: Part I

2008-04-19T16:56:00.000-07:00

Some people enjoy jotting down a quick poem and sharing it with friends. They aren't worried about becoming a great poet, or even improving. Nothing wrong with that. We used to sing in the car with no thought to becoming the next Pavarotti. I consider it a sign that poetry is still a living art. It has not been commercialized into consumership. Neither have people become so in awe of it that they only worship the past masters. So, when I see someone who doesn't give a darn about whether their poetry is any good or not I try to remember that I sing in the shower and doodle in notebooks. And I don't care if my efforts are pathetic. Well, not the doodling anyway. As a matter of self preservation I've learned not to sing in public.

I do care about improving my poetry, and I'm betting quite a few of you would like to write better poems. And there is nothing wrong with that either. And we don't have to explain ourselves, either.

There are some practices that will help almost any poet improve. Here are the most common suggestions given by experienced poets.

Read poetry. Read lots of poetry. Read lots of different kinds of poetry. Read more poetry. Read it out loud.

There are lots of excuses for not reading poetry. If you've got one, throw it out. It's lame. Yes, crippled and hobbling. Yes, weak, thin, feeble, flimsy, poor, sorry, unconvincing, implausible, and unlikely. Aren't thesauruses wonderful?

My least loved excuse for not reading poetry is that it will stifle originality. Ignorance does not make you more original. It means that you haven't the slightest idea what is original. Be original, throw out the excuses and read some poetry. Start with some poetry that you like and start reading. Don't be afraid to try something new. The more you immerse yourself in poetry the easier it will be to write poetry.

Write some poetry. Practice is the how we absorb knowledge. The best time to practice writing poetry is whenever you feel like it. The second best time is right after you've been reading poetry. Third best? any excuse you like, or no excuse at all. Write some poetry.

And that's all there is to it. Of course there are a few details missing, like the best ways to read a poem, editing, self critique, using other peoples critiques, poetics, etc. But reading and writing are where it all starts.

For more, and better articles on improving your writing skills visit Writing Forward, Melissa Donovan's blog. It is full of great articles about writing that are easy to understand and often humorous.

Cracks

2008-04-16T20:05:00.000-07:00

Ok, I've been slacking on the web browsing, and I'm too tired tonight to make up for the lack. If you're reading this, sorry, but you'll just have to settle for something resembling a poem.

Cracks

The crack in the slate blue sky
promises mountains
somewhere past the hi-way,
where blacktop
becomes topsoil,
and the guard rails
are green, soft, and sometimes make you itch.

Where some go on vacation;
empty the city, and walk cool oxygen trails
rich with time's somnolence,
and stare up into the branches
looking for cracks of blue sky
to slide into.

A Couple Changes to the Blog

2008-04-12T16:38:00.000-07:00

I've changed the book store from Zlio to Amazon. While the Zlio store was fun to play with and had more options the choice of books was just too limited. Most books were also cheaper on Amazon.

After I got bored just posting my own poems, such as they were, I decided to browse the web and see what tidbits I could dig up for my readers, few as they are. It soon became obvious that if I was going to keep all the good links I'd have more sidebar than blog. Luckily I already had a solution at hand.

When I started the blog I also started using the program NoteBook by Circus Ponies Software. It's a great tool for gathering and keeping information organized. I use it to keep notes when I'm browsing the web looking for poetry sites. Lucky for me it will export to HTML.

So with a little reorganizing I've made my poetry site notes available to you. You'll find them in the sidebar under My NoteBook Pages.

Children's Poetry, Poetry Ireland, and More

2008-04-08T22:34:00.000-07:00

Back from another foray into the lands of Google I've got four, well three and a half actually, new places worth a visit.

A Child's Voice is a poetry site for children, adults, and teachers. It was founded in 1997 by Bill Buczinsky and contains resources, lesson plans, and poetry with an emphasis on making poetry fun. There are five audio poems by Buczinsky on the site that are sure to tickle the funny bone.

Poetry Ireland is, as the name suggests, a poetry organization for Ireland. Don't let that stop you from visiting though. There are lots of interesting links to browse and a guest blog that features some good articles.

Magma Poetry Online is the online companion to the magazine Magma. They have a selection of each issue's poetry available. The Mark McGuinness Poetry blog is also well worth a read. This sometimes editor of Magma shares his enthusiasm, experiences, and an occasional poem.

John Mark Eberhart

2008-04-06T22:23:00.000-07:00

I was tickling Google with "Poetry Blog" hopping to turn up some interesting poem, blog, or poet you might like when it occurred to me, anyone can nab the top three hits off a Google search. If I wanted to offer something worth your while I was going to have to dig deeper.

So I skipped the first 600 results, and started to browse again. After few dozen bad poems and some Indian blogs I couldn't read I hit pay dirt, or gold, or at least some darn good poetry.

Parachute: The Poetry Blog is maintained by the editor of The Kansas City Star, John Mark Eberhart. The poetry is good, award winning good in several cases.

And then there is Mr. Eberhart's poetry: He has two book in print that you can order either through his site or amazon.com. {Broken Time is currently out of stock on amazon.com} I read the excerpts from Night Watch and Broken Time. Then followed his links to amazon.com where I had a look inside Night Watch which promptly ended up on my shopping list. When it arrives I promise to give you a review.

I'll be digging into Google again soon, looking for treasure for you, but mostly for me.

The Best of Ogden Nash

2008-04-04T21:48:00.000-07:00

At last, the book has arrived. The Best of Ogden Nash is exactly what I expected; poem after poem of great light verse. So far I have reacquainted myself with Custard the cowardly dragon and Isabel has been triffle, but only after eating a bear.

Don't know what I'm talking about? Head to your local library and check it out. Or for a small selection try Ogden Nash Online.

More Poetry Forums

2008-04-02T18:40:00.000-07:00

Poetry Free-For-All
This forum is focused almost entirely on critique and serious workshops. The critical forums are divided into four levels from 'General Poetry' for the beginner to 'Advanced C&C (a.k.a. Highly Merciless) for the expert. The poets at each level are expected to display both poetic and critical abilities to match. A quick perusal of the forums shows what you might expect, or at least hope to expect.

The General forum has bad to promising poetry and commentary ranging from I liked/didn't like to somewhat useful suggestions. The third forum was the highest I could access without becoming a member. The poetry here was uniformly good verging on damn good. The critiques were either very detailed, or had a cogent point to make. It made me itch to find out what was hiding in the Advanced forum.

The moderators make every attempt to accommodate new members who are serious about learning. There are an abundance of posts explaining the rules, and some forums dedicated to learning both poetry and critique. Just don't expect much coddling.

The Poet Sanctuary
This forum caters mostly to poetry posts and general comments, but there is a critique section that appears to be live and well. Poster in the Writer's Workshop sections are required to post three critiques for every poem they submit for critique. That seem to keep the ratio of posts working well.

The quality of poetry varies widely, along with the quality of the critiques. It is a friendly environment with people willing to explain and no flaming. At least none I saw. A good environment for the poet just beginning who isn't ready for a harsher environment or the experienced poet who prefers an easier pace.

It's a friendly place, and I felt welcome almost immediately. At the same time I had no trouble getting good advice on the poem I submitted. I wasn't coddled, but I wasn't challenged to a duel of poetic terms either.

Blog Status

2008-03-30T21:29:00.000-07:00

The Zlio store is linked to the blog, and vice versa. The store is still a bit skimpy on products, but that is because I want to read at least a couple poems from the poet before I add a book. If I don't like them, the author doesn't get added. I might make exceptions if people want to suggest their favorites.

I've spent quite a bit of time online looking over poets and reading poetry. These are some of the best sites I've found. I'll be adding more links in the future, so keep an eye on the right column.

Eratosphere is a great place to go if you want to critique or receive critique on poetry. It is moderated, so things don't get too out of hand. That is not to say that people are going to coddle you and say nice things no matter how bad your poetry is. It is not a mutual admiration society.

The Poetry Archive is a wonderful project. They are gathering recordings of poets reading their own poems. I'm a firm believer that poetry should be read out loud. I just wish my own voice were a bit more impressive. It might make up for the quality of the poetry.

The Poetry Daily site has a new poem every day, and they will email it to you if you sign up. There is also a Featured Poet and Featured Journal. A great way to expand your reading list.

Poems Niederngasse is a survivor of the online magazine boom. Many of my old magazine links go to morbid sites, but these guys just keep on cranking out great poetry and articles. There is a huge archive to browse as well. I'll admit I'm a bit biased. One of my poems lies in the dustier corners. But don't let that scare you away. It is just one poem, and they had the good taste to reject all my other submissions.

Silliman's Blog is another poetry blog, only much better than mine. Head on over and take a look.

A. R. Ammons

2008-03-29T21:15:00.000-07:00

For someone who claims to love poetry I'm a bit lacking in my knowledge of modern poets, and I've decided I have to do something about that. That's a good thing for you.

When my internet or library browsing comes across a poet I find interesting I'll be posting what I find out here. And the first poet to catch my interest:

A. R. Ammons.

Archie Randolph Ammons was born February 18, 1926, and that's all I'll write about his biography. After all I'd only be retyping what I read on Poetry.org and Wikipedia.

What is important is his poetry, and from what I can find online, I like it and have added him to my short list of books to buy; 'The Selected Poems: Expanded Edition (1986)" if I can find it.

Here are few links to his poetry: Let me know what you think. And if you already have a favorite poem or book by A. R. Ammons, let me know about that too.

Storm, Elegy for a Jet Pilot, Utensil, and Runoff {Cornell College of Arts and Sciences}

17 More Poems by A.R. Ammons {McGill H. Bryant}

My favorites so far: 'Identity' and 'Runoff.'

If you read nothing else, read 'Their Sex Life'. It won't take long.

Sidney Lanier

2008-03-25T20:21:00.000-07:00

Sidney Lanier was not the first poet I read. I did go to school. But like many a student who got C’s in english I managed to ignore every poem I wasn’t required to read or memorize. There were far too many science fiction books in the library for me to stray into the strange land of poetry. Strangely then, it was science fiction that led me to those lands in spite of myself.

As a freshman in college I was reading Macroscope by Piers Anthony. The book opens with the main character in Georgia, visiting the places where Sindey Lanier had lived and written about. The story also quoted quite a bit of Lanier’s poetry. It was enough to gain my mild interest.

At the same time I had my first term paper coming due. So, on a whim, I researched and wrote about this somewhat obscure poet. In the process I discovered that I actually liked poetry. The change wasn’t immediate, but it was the beginning of my own more serious attempts to write, and occasionally read poetry.

It was easy to fall in love with his poetry. It combines sounds, rhythm, and a hopeful worship of nature free of the stricter rules of meter common at the time. He developed his own theories of poetics inspired by the similarities between music and poetry: The Science of English Verse by Sidney Lanier.

Excerpt from Sunrise by Sidney lanier

O cunning green leaves, little masters! like as ye gloss

All the dull-tissued dark with your luminous darks that emboss

The vague blackness of night into pattern and plan,

So,

(But would I could know, but would could I know,)

With your question embroid’ring the dark of the question of man, --

So, with your silences purfling this this silence of man

While his cry to the dead for some knowledge is under the ban,

Under the Ban, --

So, ye have wrought me

Designs on the night of our knowledge, -- yea, ye have taught me,

So,

That Haply we know somewhat more than we know.

{Read this out loud. The pacing and sounds are like a symphony, and in the next stanza he changes the pace and sounds, like starting a new movement.}

Ye lispers, whisperers, singers in storms,

Ye consciences murmuring faiths under forms,

Ye ministers meet for each passion the grieves,

Friendly, sisterly, sweetheart leaves,

Oh, rain me down from your darks that contain me

Wisdoms ye winnow from winds that pain me, --

Sift down tremors of sweet-withing-sweet

That advise me of more than they bring, -- repeat

Me the woods-smell that swiftly but now brought breath

From the heaven-side bank of the river of death, --

Teach me the terms of silence, -- preach me

The passion of patience, -- sift me, -- impeach me, --

And there, oh there

As ye hang with your myriad palms upturned in the air,

Pray me a myriad prayer.

Sidney Lanier is well worth the space on your bookshelf, but if you want his poetry for free go to Project Gutenberg and download it from there.

Exit

2008-03-23T22:07:00.000-07:00

Etcetera, again she throws the lilies;

xanthian roads ripple in shrouds of silk,

in silver waves. Goodbye clay bricks. You will

take her blooms on your shoulders like gilt.

More from Icarus

2008-03-23T22:02:00.002-07:00

Satan, when a little boy,

pulled the wings from cherubs

and pressed them in a book.

Now the book is full of feathers,

and cherubs are raised by spiders.

From the Writing of Icarus

2008-03-23T22:02:00.001-07:00

To rise on quills and wax,

achieve flight

however strained,

and at perihelion

pause for some reflection

on the heat of passion;

how ambition melts

at the lightest touch

and does not support our dreams.

Tis The Season for Sneezen.

2008-03-22T21:54:00.000-07:00

Summer Fairies

I keep them in a plastic pen

of tamper proof technology.

In white tutus and pink hosen

they dance against biology;

rearrange ecology.

They pirouette upon my palm

and sing a cheerful summer psalm

of bees and flowers wreathed in green;

their liquid voice a salving balm

invoking anti-histamine.

The unoriginal sin of writing poetry about poetry.

2008-03-22T21:50:00.000-07:00

The Candy Cane Commentary

Poetry is a candy cane,

a bloody lust for words

twined with

the white fires of creation.

Forged, equal, and perfect,

either alone is a lesser confection.

20 Sep 98

Something old, and a little silly to start things off.

2008-03-22T21:16:00.000-07:00

Zenith

Your xanthic weight vibrates;

ungulated trochees syncopate

rap questions, prattle

Om-noon mantras, lama

kisses junta iambs.

How I god-fear epiphany's

dragon-caged beach abode.