Let’s discuss those misconceptions about poetry.
Shall we?
Poetry is a subject that has no doubt sparked a lot of misconceptions, in this article, I thought I’d share with you the misconceptions I had about poetry and hopefully clear them.
When I discovered my love for poetry, my idea of what poetry should look like was kinda twisted. Here they are, ideas I had to unlearn as I grew older in the art, I’m hoping you’d change a lot of things in your writing like I did. That being said, let’s just get into it already!
What are those misconceptions?
I THOUGHT SOUNDING LIKE SHAKESPEARE WAS POETRY:
Yes! I actually did this, I wrote poems in old English! Feel free to laugh, it’s fine, it is funny, I laugh at myself too sometimes when I think about it. At that time, it sounded cool and what’s the word…poetic!
You see, the language and choice of words of poetry depends on the writer and the type of message this writer is trying to pass across so using old English is not entirely wrong if it is relevant to your message.
Note however, that Shakespeare made use of old English because during his time, that was how they spoke but hey, time has evolved and so has English. The way we speak now is very different from how they spoke so if you don’t speak old English then you really don’t have to write in it except of course, it is for a good cause.
Writing in the English you speak won’t make your poems less poetic, what actually does make your poems poetic are the devices you use and how you use them. When I say devices, I mean “figures of speech,” these are the little ingredients you need to spice up your poetry to help your readers experience your poem(s).
I THOUGHT POETRY WAS MEANT TO BE A PUZZLE:
I once wrote a poem and tore it out because “it was too easy to understand.” I loved the feel of people reading my poems without understanding them, I thought that was what poetry was all about.
I would rejoice at the confusion on their faces and begin to feel all wise and ancient because I wrote something nobody understood. Do you know that in the process of trying to sound complicated, I ended up conflicting ideas and confusing myself, to the point that I lost the theme of what I was writing about in the first place.
Why do this, if it only brings headaches and more headaches? Why? Poetry is meant to be fun for both the writer and reader. You shouldn’t have to make your poems one big puzzle for your readers to solve, doing that would make them lose interest because I can’t go through a long day and take up a poem to read for relief and your poem is just as stressful as the day I was trying to get away from, no! Nobody wants that and if you’re being honest, I am sure you also do not want that for yourself as a reader.
I THOUGHT POETRY WAS MEANT TO BE WRITTEN IN SHORT LINES:
Yeah,
I actually thought
Writing in
Short
Annoying lines
Like
This one
Was poetry.
Now, don’t get me wrong, there are poems written in short lines that convey their messages quite well but please have in mind that POETRY SHOULDN’T ALWAYS HAVE SHORT LINES! (Sorry for shouting.)
Poetry can be of any length and the type of lines you intend to use again depends on the message you intend to pass across. Ask yourself, “How do these lines affect my poem? Is it relevant to my message? Does it emphasize the right words?” If you answer these questions and still feel the need to make use of them then you can go ahead with it.
Short lines tend to be read slower while long lines read faster so it depends on the effect you’re trying to achieve.
I THOUGHT A FREE VERSE AND A BLANK VERSE WERE THE SAME:
Let me clear this real quick so you can stop being like the old me. A Free verse is a form of poetry that doesn’t live or abide by the traditional rules of poetry, it doesn’t have a rhyme scheme and doesn’t follow any metrical pattern.
A blank verse on the other hand, is a form of poetry that has metered lines, usually in iambic pentameter but has no rhyme scheme.
Still confused about a Free verse and a Blank verse? Look at it this way, if you write a poem that follows a particular pattern with no rhyme scheme, you have written a blank verse but if you write a poem without any metrical patten or rhyme scheme whatsoever, you have written a free verse. See? There is a difference…you’re welcome!
I THOUGHT A FREE VERSE WASN’T POETRY:
So, here’s the thing, I knew that a free verse was a form of poetry but I didn’t consider it as one. I thought anybody could write it since it didn’t have a set metrical pattern, I thought poetry was all about the rhymes and because of this, my poems were filled with unnecessary and forced rhymes that added no meaning to my poem.
It is okay to write poetry that doesn’t rhyme, that is not what poetry is all about. You might ask yourself, what makes free verse poetry? I’ll tell you.
- Word choice and Imagery: Word choice matters a lot when it comes to poetry especially Free verse. It is what helps the reader feel and visualize the poem. Poems are meant to leave an impact and a Free verse achieves this with the right choice of words and vivid imagery.
- Line breaks: Line breaks help to control rhythm and so free verses rely on it. A poet, through the proper use of line breaks can create tension, chaos and other kinds of emotion in readers. Line breaks emphasize the most important word in a line. They add pauses and create a flow of words, allowing readers to stop and ponder, allowing certain ideas to stick to the mind of readers.
There are two types of line breaks in poetry, “end-stopped and enjambed lines.”
- End-stopped lines: This occurs when a line ends with a punctuation or where a natural pause would exist. It tells or emphasizes the end or completeness of an idea.
- Enjambed lines: This occurs when a thought flows from one line over to the next line. Enjambed lines show unfinished thought, it emphasizes the continuity of a thought, most times juxtaposing different ideas.
Now, how do you write a good Free verse and not prose cut into lines and stanzas?
- Have an idea of what you want to write about and the kind of emotion you intend to conjure in your readers, this will help you pick the right words.
- Proceed by writing down the words as they come to you.
- Think of how best you can transform these words into vivid images that would appeal to the senses of your readers and help them connect or feel what you want them to.
- Insert line breaks and don’t forget to play with them to see how best they fit.
- Be intentional about your end words. They should tell the readers what is most important in the line, end words are mostly concrete nouns, verbs and words that are visual.
- Edit, edit and edit until you get the right flow and you are satisfied with the impact of your poem. While editing, check your overall choice of words, poetic devices, end words, lines and make sure they are serving their purpose.
In conclusion, I hope I was able to clear those misconceptions. However, these are mine, feel free to leave in the comments, the misconceptions about poetry you had to unlearn or the ones not mentioned you’d like me to clear.
Thank you for reading!
