08-19-2021, 07:12 AM
Hey Tim, this is not a real critique and I apologize for that, but I have a thought even before reading.
I've recently decided (rightly or wrongly) that generic titles rarely work in poetry. To illustrate: if you were to google "The Byzantine" you would likely get hits including 3 bad movies, 4 wrestlers, 3 poems and a classic motorcycle. (not that google is important, that's not where I'm going)
I would suggest an adjective in your title... The Dopey Byzantine, The Wise Byzantine, The Hateful Byzantine... doesn't matter, whatever fits the narrative you are trying to impose. This ostensibly disqualifies your poem from attempting to compete with other works that have tried to once and for all define Byzantine". Essentially, I'm saying that a poem titled "My Mom's Cat" has a lot less work to do than a poem titled " The Cat".
Hope some of that makes sense,
Paul
I've recently decided (rightly or wrongly) that generic titles rarely work in poetry. To illustrate: if you were to google "The Byzantine" you would likely get hits including 3 bad movies, 4 wrestlers, 3 poems and a classic motorcycle. (not that google is important, that's not where I'm going)
I would suggest an adjective in your title... The Dopey Byzantine, The Wise Byzantine, The Hateful Byzantine... doesn't matter, whatever fits the narrative you are trying to impose. This ostensibly disqualifies your poem from attempting to compete with other works that have tried to once and for all define Byzantine". Essentially, I'm saying that a poem titled "My Mom's Cat" has a lot less work to do than a poem titled " The Cat".
Hope some of that makes sense,
Paul