Because I have two big left duck feet I am bound to step on a few toes. Actually, I rather enjoy stepping on the toes of anyone who is a control freak, politically correct, or likes to play tit for tat mind games. Sorry, but I can't stomach such people and I'm not the strong and silent type. I'm very direct and not always diplomatic. You don't have to think or guess what I feel. I give my honest opinion whether or not it's popular or tactful. I'm usually a nice guy, but I grew up on the streets and I definitely have a lot of rough edges. I'd rather walk away than compromise on my principles. That is what is leading me to rant.
My son will soon graduate high school and has been accepted at Wayne State University. My daughter graduated from WSU with a 3.93 GPA. I helped both my children with their public school homework. I was not amused by the lack of grammar being taught. It seemed much more time was spent on literature and writing than grammar conceptualization. The poetry used in their lessons was by people I had never heard of and quite frankly these poems certainly did not interest my children (or me). None of these poems rhymed and they dealt with topics about nature, psychology and social problems. Good topics, yes, but not in the style written because the metaphor was strained and the poem was not memorable.
When a student is introduced to poetry at any level, the first rule of thumb should be that the poem have a quality the student can appreciate. I remember reading William Butler Yeats, Robert Frost and Edgar Allen Poe as a young student. Although I was too young to fully grasp the meaning of some of these poems, I did like and appreciate them. Now, these poems are considered old fashioned and everything is free verse. I have nothing against free verse, but most free verse is not something that is easily memorized and quite frankly I don't think it leads to feelings of appreciation by young students.
When I was a student, we read the song lyrics of Bob Dylan, The Beatles and Paul Simon. Today it is rather difficult to read some of the song lyrics due to the foul language. One of my favorite lyrics is from the chorus in the song Coma White: 'A pill to make you numb. A pill to make you dumb. A pill to make you anybody else. All the drugs in this world won't save her from herself.' The anti-drug message in this song should be applauded, but there's a huge problem. The song is by Marilyn Manson, who I call the modern day version of Alice Cooper. Manson's songs deal with anti-religion themes and suicide, so this is as unacceptable as Alice Cooper's 'Million Dollar Babies.' However, John Lennon's anti-religion song 'Imagine' is sung by school choirs. The hypocrisy!
The proponents of free verse poetry always point to Walt Whitman. I guess you could call it free verse, but I've been reading Whitman the past few days and there is a definite structure as he layers clause upon clause and often is repetitious in the beginning of his lines. Free verse is fine, but when any lines are just written hodgepodge on a page and the person claims it is a poem, is where I draw the line. I just saw an elephant paint on YouTube. I'd bet this elephant could write a free verse poem too. Free verse poetry has been the contemporary rage for years because it is user friendly. However, history does teach that the pendulum does swing back and eventually we will get back to poetry that may have rhyme, which students will want to memorize. I think any form of poetry in this modern day and age should be welcomed solely based on its quality, but I have heard some speak derisively of rhymed verse as if only politcally correct poetry should be that acceptable. Sorry, but such thinking to me is both innane and prejudicial. Lord Bryon's ghost is a-waiting.
Now to change gears: I detest bullies. I remember in school a bully demanding my lunch money. I ended up getting in a fight with this punk. I got a bloody nose, but he didn't get my lunch money. He did get suspended from school for 3 days because of this and never bothered me again. In high school I got into two fights defending a friend who was being bullied. The teachers could not believe I was fighting because I carried a Bible to school everyday. I taught my kids not to bully. My parents taught me this lesson: If a person makes you angry, tell them once why you're angry. Don't continue harping on them with your anger because then you're not trying to solve the problem, but you're trying to hurt them and that's wrong.
I never forgot this lesson and it might be one reason my marriage has lasted 26 years. My wife and I, early in our marriage, established this ground rule for us and for our kids. We also never bring up a past complaint. When I see a friend being bullied, I stand up for them.
I had a person on Gather tell me you need to accept people being mean-spirited sometimes. My answer is, 'No I don't.' Is it adult to act with such rude behavior? I don't think so. It is more like someone has never mentally outgrown junior high school. It really disgusts me when I see people gang up on someone, or when people take sides in a problem that has nothing to do with them personally. I just removed three people from my Gather friend's list because they were doing this to me with 'silent treatment'. I feel only contempt for this behavior and have lost respect for these people. I don't need or want such friends.
P.S. This is not a prose poem for anyone inclined to think such folly.
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Comments: 39
I agree wiyj most of what you say. Poetry today at least in the poetry magazines is controlled by the colleged that sponse the magazines. I don't to be too critical but I think it is crap. There are people who write not to communicate thoughts and ideas but to empress the world with how "deep" they are by using big words, obscure metaphores and zin accurate similies. If I had children (my son is 52 years old) I wouldn't let them near that stuff, Rather Ginsberg, Kerowak, gary Snyder and haiku and tanks as well as ancient chinese poetry 9THIS THING DOESN'T HAVE A SPELL CHECKER SO BEAR WITH ME)
Now to free verse. As you may have noticed, I only write in 4 forms, free verse, Haiku, Tanka. and Horbun. I dislike rhymed poetry because most of it is bad poetry. the wrriter often looses the meter some where, the rhymes are often forced (they have never heard of slant rhyme) and remind me of hallmark card verse.
In free verse, I can concentrate on the thoughts and not worrying about the rhyme.
The purpose of rhyme is to enhance memorization. this goes way back before poems were written down. I don't want people to memorize my words but I would like them to remember my thoughts.
Sorry if this turned into a rasnt but that is the way it goes
Yes, there are bullies everywhere!! I see it everyday here on this site. Mostly it is childish school yard behavior displayed. I have a feeling these people were either bullies who never grew up or nerds that were bullied and are now overwhelmed by the popularity they have in cyber space and so they are using their new found popularity as an opportunity to pick on others. As a christian I have been the target of several attacks. Now I just smile and keep going. My real life doesn't afford me the time or inclination to participate in these childish brawls. Read my last poem again, "You Took" it says it all. That poem was written in response to a friend being attacked.
I admire you very much and respect you. I know you are honest and you always tell us exactly how you feel. This is a rare thing to find. If I write a piece and it isn't any good, I can count on you for constructive meaningful feedback. Thank You.
My late wife was giving a reading of a very good free verse poem. When she finished a man in the audience stood up and in a loud voice demanded, "What makes you think that's a poem?" Joanne squared her shoulders, drew herself up to her full 5 feet 2 inches, look the troglodite in the eye and said, "It is a poem because I say it is"
I wish that poetry was the only thing that was deficent in our schools When Mark Twain
is baned or sensored there isn't really much hope. But then it up to parents to see that it is corrected. Keep doing what you are doing my friend with your children They will appreciate in the years to come
You are right. One must not get distracted with his principles. Values and principles makes us more strong and when you ahve ceratin ideologies and you are firm , then you are right when you react like this. I love to see your kids good academic progress.I know you must be helping them through out their school days.
Poetry section in Indian syllabus is good and very balanced.
I like what you write and manytimes I love to change my flavor while reading and enjoying your rants even..
Take care
Here I am risen like a Phoenix.
I believe that you have the right to write free verse. Do it if it suits you....but I add this.
Before you claim to be a great poet, prove it by writing rhymed verse that makes the rafters ring.
Don't say the free verse is better if you can't do rhymed verse. I don't mean rhyming at any cost. I mean great poems enganced by great rhyming.
There are bullies on Gather. That's so true. Sometimes their bullying is hidden by their behind the scene strategies.
Good rant Bill. Go for it...always
Bullies are small insecure people who look to make the others around them feel just as frightened so they can feel more powerful. They are pitiable creatures.
Great rant, and the last line informing us that it wasn't poetry made me laugh.
In our hindi poetry class, I clearly remember the sessions divided into generations of poetry and how they differ so much. That not only exposed us to some classic and great poetry but also helped us understand the contemporary style and the styles that later day and present time poets evolved into. I did not appreciate it that much then, but I do so now. It left me loving poetry and even though I cant write one, and am still developing more perception and depth to understand peotry written by others, I do appreciate and love it.
Thanks for bringing this up here. We have to rely on a few people like you to bring up things that are hard to digest and uncomfortable to talk about. But that just goes ahead and increases our faith and respect in you.
Bullies are everywhere. On the computer as much as in real life. If a person can't stand up for themselves it is up to their friends to help them. If no friends appear then those of us near by should do the same. I believe in the saying about good men doing nothing. We all are in this together, this world and this gather.
I am not a poet, I make attempts at poetry. In fact I am not sure if anyone will ever refer to me as a poet. Only time will tell, I suppose.
I would love to have any cristicism on the work I publish. I am a fan of ryhming poetry. That is the way I learned any poetry I know. Some of my favorites are Edgar Guest, Robert Frost and an Australian, Banjo Patterson. I haven't the strength of my talent yet, to attempt much in the way of free verse although I did write one for the group, Where I Am From.
Thanks for your words in this 'rant'. Way to go.
secure with themselves, but we always assured them the bully was the one that needed help not them. They grew up to be good fine people, not sure about the bullies, keep up the rants William, I get lost in them and you do them so well.
And re poetry, I really love your comment about needing to introduce something the readers can like. When my kids did English here, it seemed to be more about knowing how to predict what the examiner wanted than understanding and appreciating poetry. However, if I make this comment much longer I'll start ranting about multiple choice questions and square pegs in round holes, and Maggie'll never get her walk...
I was bullied in school - for some reason I never dreamed of hitting back. I should have tried it. Oh well, I can't go back.
I found poetry on my own as a kid. I wonder if that's how most do. I don't know. I think Dr Seuss starts us in that mind set - ha ha.
I don't listen to "wild and crazy music" but I think Marilyn Manson is very bright. At least in interviews.
The city I live in is a center of poetry in the North East, so my girls were always exposed to many styles and cultural activities.
Congratulations on your son's acceptance to the university. Thank you.
"He was a gentleman from sole to crown, clean favored and imperially slim."
I can still recite the obsolete Middle English from Chaucer's (1343-1400) Canterbury Tales, committed to memory more than forty years ago:
"Whan that Aprill with the shoures soote, the droghte of March hath perced to the roote."
As a starry-eyed sixteen year old, I discovered The Collected Poems of Sara Teasdale, an old book of my mother's tucked high on a dusty shelf, and the poem Advice to a Girl:
"No one worth possessing can be quite possessed."
I explored the timeless poetry of Robert Frost (1874-1963), the beautiful imagery of Birches and his amazing sentence sounds. He has always been one of my favorites.
"Such heaps of broken glass to sweep away, you'd think the inner dome of heaven had fallen."
I'm charmed by the contemporary poet Barbara Crooker. She shows the world in new ways, captures beautiful moments, writes poetry that's unforgettable:
"In The Middle of a life that's as complicated, as everyone else's, struggling for balance, juggling time."
My heroes have always been poets. I think the "old masters" should be taught in the schools. I think it's important to memorize GOOD poetry, new and old. I think there is much to be learned from the past. The present is built on the layers of the past - and to understand the present, we have to understand the past. My writing is inspired by so many of these great poets who have come before me. Some rhymed their poetry, others did not. I prefer to write free verse poetry, although I know there is wonderful rhyming poetry to be found everywhere. Free verse is what I feel most comfortable writing. But I don't think it's better! My writing fills a need I have and I write because I have a story to tell, because writing brings me pleasure, because quite simply, I would miss it if I stopped.
Plath and Sexton, on the other hand were exciting. After reading through a few anthologies of modern poetry, Thomas Lux, Billy Collins, Kim Addonizio, Marge Piercey, and Lola Haskins emerged as my kind of poets. People who live in my time and speak my language.
I don't discredit Yeats, Keats, Tennyson, Wordsworth and the like. They just don't engage me. And I read poetry to be entertained. The stilted and archaic language employed was and is a barrier to me. Oddly, translations of ancient oriental poetry are refreshing for me.
I can't help but think, the "right kind of poetry" for someone to read is the kind they enjoy.