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WHY IS FREE FORM PREVALENT TODAY?

I guess this is really about two things.The first is the question of whether you write mainly for yourself and other poets. Nothing wrong with doing so, but if your answer is yes then the rest of this is probably of no interest to you and I appreciate your having read this far. I have brought this old subject back so the newer members can have a chance to air out their opinions on this.

If you think we write mainly for general readers, then I pose this question: Is the prevalence of free form in modern poetry the result of a goal to make poetry easier to write or easier to read? I think you all know I write mainly in western classic, but I also dabble in other forms, so this question is not intended to be judgmental.It is asked only to get you to examine the motive behind your own choice of preferred poetry form. To be fair I will freely say that I chose rhyme and meter because, at least for me, it seems the hardest form to write in. Of course I also realize good free form is no picnic either. So look inside yourself and let's hear your motivations...........stan

is prevelant because poets wish to be paid for what they write, and...
oh, sorry, you meant FREE FORM, my bad!

heehee

It's an interesting question. It is harder to express oneself in rhyme. At least, it is for me.
But I think writing freeform poetry that flows and has a natural cadence is just as hard, and I think that freeform poetry allows for a more varied and subtle emotional content.
Then again, the rhyming poetry I love isn't at all deficient in subtlety or depth of content!

This is a layman's opinion. I have no formal education in poetry beyond that of secondary school, and even less in terms of the history of poetry.
I do not believe that freeform poetry developed to make writing poetry easier, or easier to read. I think that in some part, freeform poetry, a fairly recent form of the art, has developed because the reasons that poetry developed in the first place have become obsolete, or increasingly questioned.
Poetry originally developed in order to transmit information, in a time when the only way to do this was by word-of-mouth. Poetry is older than written language, and imo older than songwriting. It is far easier to memorize long tales, myths, doctrines, sagas, histories, geneologies, practices and other information when it is mneumonic, in rhyming form and thus far easier to remember. Almost every ancient written tale, starting with Gilgamesh, is in the form of rhyme because that is how these tales first developed andsubsequently spread to ever-wider audiences.

Even more than a century after printing was invented in the West, Shakespeare and almost every other poet, playwright and songwriter was still using rhyme almost exclusively, although it's structure and depth of meaning were increasingly complex. It had become a valued art-form in itself, in spite of the fact that the original reason for its existance was now obselete.

I think that mass communication, near-universal literacy and increasing ease of recording, coupled with the influx of many different cultural influences in this age of easy travel, and the increasing cultural and societal freedom of individual thought, have accelerated this process, culminating in poets like T.S. Elliot, whose freeform work was originally frowned upon, and in many cases villified ,but who is now, by many, seen as one of the founders of modernism, which often questions traditional ways of creating art, and the conservativism of artistic establishment.

Just my two cents: someone more learned and more educated in the ways of poetry could maybe tell you a better tale!

Respectfully, Race

"Laws and Rules don't kill freedom: narrow-minded intolerance does" - Race-9togo

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/Race_9togo

I set myself exercises in writing traditional forms that seldom even see the light of Neopoet. They are purely for the purpose of developing my wordcrafting skills. Having a full set of prosodic "tools" is invaluable to the art of freeform writing. The "free" in freeform is perhaps a misnomer. Really good freeform will invariably contain at least some prosodic elements-
meter, though often complex and variable.
rhyme, where it contributes and does not detract
assonance, alliteration, metaphor simile, the works.

That being said, freeform can be used as an excuse for laziness. Basically just writing a piece of prose and splitting it into lines.

That's one of the reasons we are here at Neopoet. To point out lack of prosodic values, cliches, over or under adherence to form.

Personally, I think someone new to the craft is best advised to avoid rhyme, it is such a "trap for young players" and concern themselves more with original expression. That is just my approach, it works for some and not for others.

I try to write for all readers but do it with the fore-knowledge that mostly only other poets will end up reading it. Although I've got some ideas about changing that...

cheers,
Jess
A new workshop on the most important element of poetry-
'Rhythm and Meter in Poetry'
https://www.neopoet.com/workshop/rhythm-and-meter-poetry

Seems that free form isn't "free' after all, according to the research I'm doing. As Jim said, I've no creative writing degree. I just read all the poems I can get my hands on, and gain from those.

And as you said, about the laziness/excuse... i think that is where a lot of folks are at.

I'm enjoying the commentary here.

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Raywhitakerblog.wordpress.com
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I thank you all for commenting. I hope this has not been taken as a me versus them thing. I just think it helps for a writer to stop on occasion and think on his or her motive for choosing their particular mode of expressing their thoughts. I am used to being in the minority in the form I use most and have not been made to feel stigmatized because of it. And there have been a few poems I've posted in free verse that would have been exceedingly difficult to put in rhyme. thanks again and I look forward to hearing from others on this subject.........stan

author comment

I write for all readers. And have strategies I am putting in place to introduce non-poets to poetry. I can't be more specific at this stage

I believe "freeform" includes all forms and is perhaps the most difficult way to express oneself successfully.

I think all poets should attempt classical forms purely to increase their skills, but not limit themselves to them.

It is wrong to stigmatise anyone for choosing a particular form. One great poet who has not returned to Neopoet yet is a magnificent sonnet writer, and my only persistent criticism of him was for numbering his sonnets instead of naming them. I thought it was pretentious [mischievous grin]

Bottom line is that beginning with Jim's original response, poetry has expanded beyond form but it is not easy. And especially not easy to get non poets to read them. One thing about the history of poetry where my research tends to disagree with Jim's is that rhyme was a later, rather than primal form. Rhythm, meter, is the primal form. Even alliteration came before rhyme. Rhyme can be a deadly trap. We have all read potentially good poetry destroyed by searching for a rhyme that leads to cliche.

Rhyme is often the enemy of good poetry.

cheers,
Jess
A new workshop on the most important element of poetry-
'Rhythm and Meter in Poetry'
https://www.neopoet.com/workshop/rhythm-and-meter-poetry

Finally caught error,OK had it pointed out, in title..................stan

author comment

Call me dumb ass!!!

Not ever.

Respectfully, Race

"Laws and Rules don't kill freedom: narrow-minded intolerance does" - Race-9togo

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/Race_9togo

in the first comment posted here, after that I just ignored it.

Did you read Jim's comment, the first comment here. Did you read mine? Are you reading anything? Or was this just a self-indulgent self-justifying rant that didn't warrant the thought and consideration your peers gave it?

cheers,
Jess
A new workshop on the most important element of poetry-
'Rhythm and Meter in Poetry'
https://www.neopoet.com/workshop/rhythm-and-meter-poetry

Of course I've been reading comments. I have intended this to be about what others thought not what I thought.And I'm sorry you perceived this to be a rant.................stan

author comment

the very first comment, which pointed out the error in the title in a very clever way.

cheers,
Jess
A new workshop on the most important element of poetry-
'Rhythm and Meter in Poetry'
https://www.neopoet.com/workshop/rhythm-and-meter-poetry

"Freeform" is, of course, another name for lack of discipline. I have yet to read any freeform poem , no matter how effective and erudite the writer is, without the sneaking suspicion that this very competent write could have been much more if written in a classical style. While the best of freeform can stand comparison with classical works, I suspect that an audience might find the lack of rhyme and metre a distraction. Finally, I can still recall songs from my youth, the words spring to mind by a combination of tune and rhyme. Most individuals can recite some poetry, again because of the classical structure.
Regards

Ian

TIME FLIES LIKE AN ARROW, BUT FRUIT FLIES LIKE A BANANA

I guess I'll need to answer each comment as though I intend to influence others' thinking.else Jess think I'm ignoring you all . I agree in your feeling that classical may require more effort than free form. Yet I have read and written some free form writes that had intent that would have been near impossible to put in rhyme form without the rhyme itself interfering with the message. At the same time I think a good classic write is more likely to be remembered over time than a good free form..........stan

author comment

With your characterization of freeform poetry. I spend considerable amounts of time writing mine, and often simply scrap what I have and start again because it does not meet the standards that I set for myself.
I cannot speak for scotland, it has been almost 30 years since I set foot upon her green hills, but at open mic sessions that I have attended and participated in here in the US, audiences have great enthusiasm for freeform and blank verse poetry, as well as rap, although they still appreciate good classic verse as well.
There will always be rhyming poetry, it is how we've made and enjoyed it for probably tens of thousands of years. But freeform poetry is here to stay.

Respectfully, Race

"Laws and Rules don't kill freedom: narrow-minded intolerance does" - Race-9togo

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/Race_9togo

There is a difference between free verse and good free verse just as there is between good rhyming and just rhyming. I think to write either well is difficult, but to write just free verse may be easier than just rhyming. I am not meaning to take a stand against either but am hoping this forum merely gets people to think about both types and maybe explore trying a type they have not tried yet. Either type..............stan

author comment

I haven't read the commentary since I don't want to be influenced and have my thoughts swayed to or from my intent.

I think that rhyme is the way poetry was, I see no more Shakespeares or Frosts etc. in the making since the English that was used is no longer in effect, spoken in today's vernacular. It was then.

However, that there are an infinite number of voices that can speak of their own time...in our own words....and can add layers upon layers of meaning in free form is the essence of a WS Merwin or Plath, Hughes, Bukowski, performance/rap. In my viewpoint rhyme is encased and put to music. Some of the purest musicians are brilliant poets.

An example I will cite is a song and a poem by musicians and a poet.

First Merwin:

Cave

Stone room dug into the brow of the ridge
one corner of it the rose-gray living rock
that covers the dark halls of the underworld
grate maned green water-dog on the south wall
where the whitewash is mottled to a map of time
casement windows to the north facing
the guilt of small fields and the bend of river
far below them and set into the hillside
in the east wall the ancient oven mouth
a dark shape like the backs of sunrise and moonrise
and the black arches of the woodstove with its scrolls
of iron leaves and love goddess and rainbow
I have come back through the years to this
stone hallow encrypted in its own stillness
I hear it without listening

(You can hear music, the rhythm and cadence though not one punctation mark is used..Merwin has won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry along with every award possible, including Poet Laureate.)

Here's a band (The Mumford Brothers) playing and the lyrics to *The Cave*, winning awards and playing on the Grammy Awards recently.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtEasM--AQg

Lyrics to The Cave :

It's empty in the valley of your heart
The sun, it rises slowly as you walk
Away from all the fears
And all the faults you've left behind

The harvest left no food for you to eat
You cannibal, you meat-eater, you see
But I have seen the same
I know the shame in your defeat

But I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck

And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again

Cause I have other things to fill my time
You take what is yours and I'll take mine
Now let me at the truth
Which will refresh my broken mind

So tie me to a post and block my ears
I can see widows and orphans through my tears
I know my call despite my faults
And despite my growing fears

But I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck

And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again

So come out of your cave walking on your hands
And see the world hanging upside down
You can understand dependence
When you know the maker's hand

So make your siren's call
And sing all you want
I will not hear what you have to say

Cause I need freedom now
And I need to know how
To live my life as it's meant to be

And I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck

And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again
It's empty in the valley of your heart
The sun, it rises slowly as you walk
Away from all the fears
And all the faults you've left behind

The harvest left no food for you to eat
You cannibal, you meat-eater, you see
But I have seen the same
I know the shame in your defeat

But I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck

And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again

Cause I have other things to fill my time
You take what is yours and I'll take mine
Now let me at the truth
Which will refresh my broken mind

So tie me to a post and block my ears
I can see widows and orphans through my tears
I know my call despite my faults
And despite my growing fears

But I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck

And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again

So come out of your cave walking on your hands
And see the world hanging upside down
You can understand dependence
When you know the maker's hand

So make your siren's call
And sing all you want
I will not hear what you have to say

Cause I need freedom now
And I need to know how
To live my life as it's meant to be

And I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck

And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again

~~~

"The cave" is an allegory first written by Plato.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for your input and opinion..............stan

author comment

As I look at it, good free verse is harder to write than good structured verse and because of this, there is a very lot of crap written and passed off as free verse. Folks can posture all they desire but the arbiter of what is good is time, not popularity and quoting current trends is a nice way to say "I don't know anything but everyone else tells me THIS is good!"

Some folks are popular and write well but this is the exception rather than the rule and I suspect much of what is pontificated as "evolved" poetry will be forgotten and ignored, and deservedly so, just as much of what is passed off as popular art in other circles suffers a similar fate.

The problem with free verse is that the lack of inherent structure has led people to believe that anyone can be a poet and that is not true. Anyone can write a poem, just as anyone can paint or sculpt, but the vomiting of raw emotion, in any medium, will rarely stand the test of time.

I personally prefer structure and rhyme though I have been doing a lot of work lately in blank verse, un-rhymed but highly structured. As Ian pointed out, a structured and rhymed poem lends itself to re-reading and repeating because it becomes a song in the head and satisfies our internal need for order. One day I suspect more people will be up for the challenge of structure and rhyme but since it takes a lot of work to make it sound right and since many people who want to be called artists refuse to put in the time and effort to actually develop skill rather than "find" it, there will always be those who disparage skill and highlight "talent" though they posses neither outside of the transient nature of popularity.

But that's just me.

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

Jonathan Moore

I also wonder if free verse will stand the test of time. I think of the "poetry" I've written as an example. I think I may have produced a few at least OK poems in both free verse and rhyme. Of the two types I can scarce recall the words of even my own free verse writes as well as I can some of my rhyming stuff. If I can't recall My own from memory what hope is there that others may? I thank you for taking time to comment and look forward to hearing from more as time passes.....................stan

author comment

A good blog where Jonathan gives us alot to think about and is teaching it as well. It is about time I read something in here after the last week that actually made me put my brain to work and to actually learn something. I appreciate that and Scribe I am so glad you brang this subject up.

This is workshop stuff and the other stuff is pure dwiddly dum look out baby here I come stuff ...sorry just had to throw a dig in and the shovel...if you get that drift of mud Scribe...

I would love to see more information as Johnathan stated here on the juxtoposition!

Great blog our Scribler:)
Mona

Whether or no free verse or rhyme, Mona, it's time you learned there is no such word as *brang*. I'm surprised no one ever brang...oops broug it up....

Here's the tenses of bring.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_past_tense_of_bring
http://esl.about.com/od/grammarstructures/a/v_bring.htm

~A

I'm sure that little attempt at humiliation of another person made you feel superior.

It did not make you look superior.

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

Jonathan Moore

And I'm not surprised at your *vain* attempt to *chastise* me. Mr. Neopoet .Conscience.....

Now for all those who still confuse *it's* (a contraction for it is) and *its* ...or those who write their for there or they're....... If you want to be a writer, you really should know a few simple basics of the English language.

~A..

Thank God we have you to save us.

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

Jonathan Moore

And thank God we have you to save us from saving ourselves.

Now go back to your corner, I'll go to mine and we'll wait for the bell.

~A

See this is the problem, you think you are saving people, I know I am just amusing myself.

This is why, for all your pretentious posturing, you always self-destruct and tantrum off, only to come back some bit later, pretending nothing ever happened.

It's rather sad.

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

Jonathan Moore

I would appreciate you both arguing with each other in this manner in another venue...................stan

author comment

Geeze, Stan.

Girls just wanna have fun sometimes.

~A

p.s. Silly Jonathan, nothing ever happened but what stays in y/our mind(s).

Just don't want this to become a battle ground.............stan

author comment

I too am a firm believer that good free verse is harder to write than structured formal poetry and rhyme.

Free verse is a wonderful way to strip ourselves of conventional ties and bindings in art and express ourselves, but good free verse is not without structure and form, and may even contain some intermittent rhyme. "gasp"

I believe there is a lot of bad poetry out there and a lot of it is free verse. But, I have seen a lot of forced rhymed sonnets as well, and they are enough to turn a stomach. Bad poetry is simply that - BAD POETRY.

Like most art forms - poetry goes through trendy stages as it is explored through the ages. The good stuff will last and the not so good will fall by the wayside. Time is the teller of good poetry.

 

Good ideas and great thoughts to remember. Thank you, ~Pamela

. . .

.. .

~"It's ALL about the Poetry~

Please join us in The Shark Pool

welcome to the blog that has no end lol. Hope you don't take this to be a free verse v. classic thing. Mainly meant to be an instrument to get people thinking about why they chose their preferred form.Thanks for coming by.......scribbler

author comment

I write both I think a good writer is (or at least strives to be) comfortable in all genre.
I just liked the ideas expressed by Johnathan and wanted to say so.

I guess I would choose the form that would best convey the message I would wish to send.
~Pamela
..
.

.. .

~"It's ALL about the Poetry~

Please join us in The Shark Pool

I write both I think a good writer is (or at least strives to be) comfortable in all genre.
I just liked the ideas expressed by Jonathan and wanted to say so.

I guess I would choose the form that would best convey the message I would wish to send.
~Pamela
..
.

.. .

~"It's ALL about the Poetry~

Please join us in The Shark Pool

Of course we should. But nothing is wrong with thinking about Why we choose a particular form.........stan

author comment

Hey there Scrib, starting trouble again here at Neo are we? -- cookies and milk kept us up a bit late have they?
First I had to sort through your logic to figure out what the hell you were talking about and asking.
The title asks the question: Why is free form prevalent today?
Then you go on to say this is about two things 1. If you write for yourself, and other poets ( you will have no further interest to continue) 2. If you think we write for general readers then I pose this question Is the prevalence of free form in modern poetry the result of a goal to make poetry easier to write or easier to read.
Second I had to figure out if I should continue because I write for anyone who choose to read, and that includes poets and myself, as well as general readers (whoever they are).
Last the question is meant to ask us to examine our motives on our choices of poetic style.Which you ask us to relate. Your qualifying that by saying you write free form because it is a harder form for you to write. I think you know what the insinuation is there.

1. "Why is free form prevalent today".

This is an excellent question. I don't think there is any one quick answer except to say that it is the natural cultural evolution of poetry to brake down expressions of form that no longer suit the content (or soul) of the poem; in the time period they were written just as past generations developed elaborate rules of rhyme and metrics to give a melodic form and style to the poetry to suit the times in which they were written Why do cultures change would be a similar question. Why don't we dress the same way we did 100 years ago? Because we aren't the same people we were 100 years ago. We are continuing to grow and develop, (accept for aging cowboys) just kidding scrib. So does that mean we should abandon what is a beautiful form because we are free from the necessity to write in rhyme only? No! We are free to write our hearts --- freestyle or rhyme, but we should understand the merits of each form as poets. Poetry is simply using language creatively in whatever form we choose, but if we write in the style of Ralph waldo Emerson your poetry will be dated to the 1800s. Every poem has it's own style to be written in. I certainly don't write freestyle because it's easier. I do it because my poetry demands that form to be expressed in the truth of what it is. Let it tell you. To him who has an ear let him listen. and write.

As to which style is more difficult that's a question not worth answering.

B Anna's sex slave

POEM
Little Soul

by Hadrian

Little soul little stray
little drifter
now where will you stay
all pale and all alone
after the way
you used to make fun of things

This is Anna not Barry who forgot to change over to his side.

The essence of poetry is that it comes from the inside. The soul connected to the ineffable, the great unknown that some call God. That's why we are connected to the greats who wrote in rhyme and those of us who connect to the greats that write free verse in the present.

I challenge all those who have yet to get their feet wet in knowledge of the greats of present free verse to do so. Let's get over our own stumbling blocks of trying to fit words into forms and formulas, let's get into the heart of poetry.... that which connects us to the timeless and that makes or expands our vision beyond anything we can even understand at the moment.... because it's that great...it's that powerful. If it's rhyme, free verse or haiku.

We can always stay in that comfortable niche we have carved for ourselves, never growing as human beings or poets.

~A

"Let's get over our own stumbling blocks of trying to fit words into forms and formulas, let's get into the heart of poetry"

You write poetry your way, I'll write it mine. merely because you do not care for structured verse does not make it worse, it just makes it something for which you do not care.

Art is always defined, it never just is since art is a human concept and just because a current trend states art = X does not mean D,L,S, and Z are not art, they are just not popular art.

X was once not popular, and one day it will be unpopular again, does it stop being art to everyone just because some group does not like it?

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

Jonathan Moore

Yes ya'll know my main intent here is to cause trouble.........riiiight. I started this just to get people thinking about different form and maybe get some to consider trying a form they haven't used yet. It seems that everyone who has commented has put considerable thought into their responses which is great.I'm a believer in baby steps. When I get to where I no longer struggle with interpreting some free verse on site i will then consider myself ready to check out contemporary poets not on site. By far my favorite poet is Frost and not all of his stuff was rhyming. Maybe that's enough to show that I don't condemn free verse. If I truly considered it inferior I would never try writing it myself ( note i TRY writing it ). Looking forward to this conversation expanding...............stan

author comment

Ha! Baby steps, right into the proverbial edge where the rubber meets the road, where the heart bears its own witness.

To where a poet is born, one hand on his/her heart, swearing to be true to________________.

~A

It is my intent to delete this forum in a few days. I don't want people spending TOO much time on this and neglect their writing. And NO I don't mean anybody in particular lol...............stan

author comment

I have tried a bit of free verse and am studying up a bit on it along with other styles of poetic writes. There is so many forms of poetry. We kin to stick to what we know and like but it is great to branch out and learn other ways of poetic styles.

I did a couple of free verse poems like I said. I need more practicing on it and better critiques to see where I fall short on it. Some poets, not just on here, that is all they like to write is free verse. I think it is great to bring these types of blogs up for they are informative and reflective.

I have been reading some of the old favorites from way back before my time and I am rather intriqued with the writings of Sir Walter Scott for some reason. My brother gave me this book (dated copyright and published from 1835) It has some awesome writings from Shakespear to Emily Dickinson, even Abraham Lincoln. It is rather spell binding to read and I have enjoyed reading it to my father as well.

I will give it a go on a free verse and see what happens. We will never know until we try.
Good blog Scribe

Blessings

Mona

Additional notation: Scribe I think you should keep this blog up and not delete it. It is your blog and you are getting feedback on it so you should keep it up. This is what gets writers to think and explore and this is a good thing for the site.

I also do an occasional free verse( I try for 1 per week). Writing them is no picnic but it is a nice change. I will be glad when site is fully functional again as I have a few ideas for some parallel poems which I can't get to post right yet lol.( Paul and all, I know you are doing all you can and please don't take that as a complaint. )By all means try something new. I'm considering a sonnet before too long. I will not delete this for at least a few days...........stan

author comment

When I try free verse it's the rhythm that gives me the most trouble, well maybe the most after deciding on subject lol. Thanks for reading and leaving a comment.................scribbler

author comment

Instead of debating this issue, Let's have an on-going workshop that challenges members by doing what Stan has already done, asking participants to write a subject in three or four distinct, pre-determned styles. It's hard work, it's fun, and it's very satisfying.

Respectfully, Race

"Laws and Rules don't kill freedom: narrow-minded intolerance does" - Race-9togo

http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/Race_9togo

that sounds like a good idea. The site is not ready for a regular workshop yet. We could use this forum as a time delayed type though. If wanted, I could start out tomorrow by posting a poem from old site which I did in three forms. Let it stay posted for 1-2 days' comments and suggestions then move to next member who wants to do the same. The only problem I foresee could be determining who posts in what order. Open to ideas from all including whether this IS a good idea. Bed time here. Will check feedback on this in morning..............stan

author comment

How do we get started?

.. .

~"It's ALL about the Poetry~

Please join us in The Shark Pool

I've only done 2 co-writes so far. Enjoyed working with both Dan and Shirley on them. Would not mind at all doing one with some blond Australian broad lol...................stan

author comment

pardon my butting in mr s,

but it should be "some blonde, Aussie sheila"

"broad' is so yankee doodle dandee"!

(*snort ... guffaw )

So unappreciative of my trying to integrate you bunch of unruly Australians into normal society LMAO........stan

author comment

it seems that traditional forms and structures have not had their day so much
as there isn't any more variations on that "theme" without us having to fall
into cliché or plagiarism. There are only several thousand words in the English
language, fewer still are used daily (conversationally) and if rhyming were to
be accounted for, even fewer still. The use of archaic and pseudo-archaic
word order and syntax has its very real limits (take a look at a significant
amount of my poetry in that style and the mixed bag of reactions they get
and you'll get what I mean here). There are far many more 'practising' poets
these days with more exposure than there even was in the Boomer era.
So freeform, however misinterpreted it may be seems to be the way that
the current is flowing.

__________________________________________________
'write on! let these words free.'

there has been so much written in the past one of the greatest challenges is to write something of worth that hasn't already been done.I appreciate your adding to this conversation.........stan

author comment

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