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| Site Picture Challenge March 3 |
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The Valley
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Write a poem about the picture you see above. Be sure to post it to the category Challenge-Picture. Have fun!
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| American Life In Poetry |
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Father, Child, Water
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BY TED KOOSER, U.S. POET LAUREATE
We mammals are ferociously protective of our young, and we all know not to wander in between a sow bear and her cubs. Here Minnesota poet Gary Dop, without a moment's hesitation, throws himself into the water to save a frightened child.
I lift your body to the boat
before you drown or choke or slip too far
beneath. I didn't think-just jumped, just did
what I did like the physics
that flung you in. My hands clutch under
year-old arms, between your life
jacket and your bobbing frame, pushing you,
like a fountain cherub, up and out.
I'm fooled by the warmth pulsing from
the gash on my thigh, sliced wide and clean
by an errant screw on the stern.
No pain. My legs kick out blood below.
My arms strain
against our deaths to hold you up
as I lift you, crying, reaching, to the boat.
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| Featured Site Tool |
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Site Tips, Facts, Hints
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We have finally gotten around to updating lots of our Site Tips, Facts, and Hints. In this section, you can read about things on the site that you may have overlooked or did not know!
If there is a particular hint you would like us to add, just use the CONTACT ADMIN link and let us know! We want all of our members to know as much as possible about our World!
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| About Poetry |
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Imagery
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Though often written off as decoration or illustration, imagery lies at the heart of a poem. Much of any language is built of dead metaphors, and metaphors in poetry are more sleeping than dead.
To put the matter concisely: imagery is the content of thought where attention is directed to sensory qualities: mental images, figures of speech and embodiments of non-discursive truth.
Psychologists identify seven kinds of mental images - those of sight, sound, taste, smell, touch, bodily awareness and muscular tension. All are available to poets, and are used by poets, though rarely to the same extent. The key point is the purposes to which imagery is put.
Metaphor, simile, allegory, personification, metonymy (attribute for whole) and synecdoche (part for whole) all involve imagery. Often the things compared are both images, but one of them may also be a feeling or concept. The effects achieved are very various, therefore, and the matter is further complicated by literary fashion and a poet's individual obsessions.
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| Poetry Writing |
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Thoughts On Meter
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by J.C. Hewitt
I rarely focus on meter when I write poetry. In my college days I took many of my style cues (though not my content cues) from William Carlos Williams, Charles Bukowski and others who wrote in an imagistic style. Meter will always have a place in poetry, but in the 20th century the move was away from forms and meter and towards less structured styles.
The beauty of poetry though, is that there is room for everyone. If you want to write sonnets, you are still welcome at the party. If you want to write stream-of-consciousness free verse, that's fine too. People who rhyme? Well that's kind of like inviting smokers to the party. You still like them; you just wish they would stop (that's a joke).
Here are some arguments for and against the use of meter and form:
What are the reasons to use meter?
**It adds structure.
**It is a framework on which you can build a poem.
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| Site Challenge March 11 |
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Write A Reccipoem (Re-cippo-em)
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For the next few weeks I thought it would be neat if I challenged you to write a form that was created by one of our members.
This week's challenge is to write a Recccipoem, a form created by PAULETTEV
DESCRIPTION OF THE FORM:
4 Quatrains-strict syllable count:
5/6/5/6,5/6/5/5,5/6/6/5,5/6/5/6.
Rhyme pattern-
abab,abaa,baba,abab.
Reciprocal or interchangeable lines are:
ABCD, -DEA, --FC, -FEB.
Use same last words for (lines1&10, 2&9, 3&13).
CLICK BELOW FOR A SAMPLE POEM
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| Famous Poets |
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Etheridge Knight
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Etheridge Knight was born in Corinth, Mississippi, in 1931. Although he dropped out of school at age sixteen (as soon as he was old enough to join the army), his education in the uses and joys of language continued as he explored the world of juke joints, pool halls, and underground poker games.
He began to master the art of the toast, a form of long, improvised, humorous poetry that dates back to the 19th century and has its roots in African storytelling. From 1947 to 1951, Knight served in the U.S. Army in Korea, and returning with a shrapnel wound that caused him to fall deeper into a drug addiction that had begun during his service.
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| About Our Poetry Site |
World of Poets online poetry community is a poetry site that is all about poems and poetry. Our poets are everyday people who love writing poems and sharing them with other poets on the site. We have a wonderful poetry workshop where you can interact with members and do poem analysis, talk about poetry authors, and even teach poetry to other members. We have thousands of resources available to you to help you practice your online writing, maybe write a poetry book, research american poetry and famous poets. Not all poetry sites are created equal. For example, we are the only poetry site of our kind with an extensive list of great poet recordings, poetry videos, over 300 poetry publications, and even poetry book previews! Whether you are into black poetry, famous poems and poets, entering poetry contests, or just love poetry, our online poetry community is the very best. Don't forget to check out all of our incredible features including: Poem of The Moment, Poets Learning Poetry, Poets In Profile, and more. We hope you have a wonderful poetic experience with us. |
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