A Modest Proposal (Meter Discussion)

[ellajam]

Thank you so much - I was quite dismayed by some of the responses - my intention was exactly what you read: it was just meant as a sort of over-the-top fancy joke. So I was a bit taken aback when someone said it descended into "meter vomit"!

I hadn't consciously thought about meter when I wrote it, I just played it by ear; but my research this evening confirms what I suspected and what you write: I can't find a single poem written in common meter that sticks rigidly to it - it would sound like a metronome if you did. Also, unless I'm mistaken, the first stanza is 9 7 8 7 - which isn't common meter.

Anyway, my intention was really to entertain and I'm pleased I succeeded at least once!

Kind regards

David

Oh - I was going to end it with something like:


Your private chamber sees such traffic
We may yet need install
A ticket booth atop the stair
And parking in the hall.

You may have had a different response if you had posted in Fun. Just click on each forum name to learn what to expect from each. I like the above ending.