Poetry that does not have Rhyme and Rhythm does not appeal to me at all - except possibly as some form of torturous literary exercise, but from time to time I do join writers of other genres at poetic festivals etc. I find that many of these other styles have little if any general public appeal, their accolades coming almost entirely from other poets of similar styles. I, and the few others who present good rhythmic, rhyming verse seem to attract an appreciative audience, who, once the microphone is passed to the free verse aficionados quickly disperse. So here are my thoughts on the matter
Poetry
Now our style of verse
has both rhythm and rhyme
To stray from this structure is almost a crime
There are others I know who would disagree
Proclaim what we say is just not poetry
They say we’re not
poets, we’re just balladeers
With popular verses for simplistic ears
Such verses as these, they just cannot extol
A poem, they say, should emerge from the soul
Well, poetry week, it
has just come and went
And with people like this, some time I have spent
I’ve sat and I’ve listened but little I’ve heard
Is what I’d expect from the poetic word
For most of the poets I
heard through the week
Should look up their diction’ry before they speak
For the word is defined right there in that book
But many it seems have not bothered to look
The poetry word is as
clear as can be
Defined in one sentence when you look to see
It says that for poetry, what is the norm
Is thoughts and expressions in rhythmical form
No mention of rhyme, but
with that I’m OK
Rhyme’s a sub-species, the sort that we say
But much that I heard, it just got up my nose
‘Twas not poetry, it was broken up prose
Their poems they say,
they are writ in free verse
But after one poem, I doubt I’ve heard worse
No rhythm, no metre, no structure to share
Just words joined together with gaps here and there
They call themselves
poets, they think they’re hot stuff
Refined and intelligent, not at all rough
Educated you know, got a masters degree
In lit’rature, language and quick repartee.
Been published, you see,
by the Art Council Press
Had trips overseas, which they hope will impress
Their readers and listeners, but I disagree
The stuff that they write, it does nothing for me
I know I’m no sage in
the lit’rature game
I haven’t got letters put after my name
But I know what’s there, in that “Dicshun-ary”
The meaning I’ll find for the word “Poetry”
© Brian
Langley Sep 22 2006
