06-14-2011, 07:46 AM
As I now seem to be on the decline, my views may not carry much weight. My sense, however, is that I have been at my best when most immersed, so that, on occasion, I would even wake up with metred poem, ready to go. Less dramatically, having this or that metre in the air, while walking, or any regular activity of that sort, seems to produce something, by making use of whatever simple stimuli may be about, and throwing the words into some form, not necessarily the metre I began with. It tends to be the case that when one comes, others do, quite different, and there is then the problem of getting home without forgetting, as it must be So-and-So's Law, that if you ever dream up something good, you won't have anything to write with, and if you then dream up something else, the chances of remembering both or either in their original form are zero. I have scribbled on newspapers, cheque-books, and till receipts before now-- usually illegibly....
I think reading must be good, but I worry a little that I shall later plagiarise unwittingly -- in fact, if I ever write a phrase which I really like, I suspect that that is the source.
I do not care much for forms, though I daresay my day will come, but I do like metre. That leads me to try odd metres, to find out what is, and is not,do-able, speaking as I do.
As a rider, it is my feeling that only a narrow slice of poetry can be of that dense sort, where words are jammed to-gether to create some kind of image. On the page, it is fine, as you can go over and over to get the meaning. Otherwise, when spoken, no matter how clearly enunciated, the chances are that the only people who hear and understand, are liars. And Leanne, of course...
I think reading must be good, but I worry a little that I shall later plagiarise unwittingly -- in fact, if I ever write a phrase which I really like, I suspect that that is the source.
I do not care much for forms, though I daresay my day will come, but I do like metre. That leads me to try odd metres, to find out what is, and is not,do-able, speaking as I do.
As a rider, it is my feeling that only a narrow slice of poetry can be of that dense sort, where words are jammed to-gether to create some kind of image. On the page, it is fine, as you can go over and over to get the meaning. Otherwise, when spoken, no matter how clearly enunciated, the chances are that the only people who hear and understand, are liars. And Leanne, of course...