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TJMF Publishing - Open Mike Cafe Editor's Desk Staff Editor Patty Zion |
Poetic Echoes, Part One
Who’s Your Hero?
By Patty Zion
My mother taught me to bake pies. Every Saturday, we stood in the kitchen and rolled out dough, making a mess of flour and fingerprints. It was a lot of fun for me as a little girl, but while having all that fun, I learned the ins and outs of pie baking. Sometimes my mother explained it all very carefully; other times, we simply went through the steps together, and I learned by imitation.
Mum was my pie-baking heroine. As life went on, I found many other heroes and heroines. Fortunately, I also have some poetic heroes: Robert W. Service, A.E. Housman, and e.e. cummings, to name a few.
Have you found your poetic hero yet? Someone who embodies the style, voice, or message you want to bring to your own poetry? Of course, your hero will never be exactly the same as you. Personal style varies as much as those floury fingerprints my mum and I used to make. But we learn easily from someone we admire.
How does a poet go about finding a hero? Nowadays, with the advantages of the Internet and modern libraries, we have it all at our fingertips. All it takes is a few thoughtful steps.
Think about your own writing. Do you enjoy writing romantic odes and love stories in verse? Consider the poetry of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, William Shakespeare, John Keats, William Wordsworth, or George Gordon, Lord Byron.
Does your interest go more toward nature and the outdoors? You might find inspiration in the works of Robert Frost, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, or Walt Whitman.
Are you an independent thinker, searching for knowledge in your own thoughts and solitude? Try the poetry of Henry David Thoreau, Carl Sandburg, or Theodore Roethke.
Is your style quite modern and avant-garde? You might enjoy the writing of Charles Bukowski, Sylvia Plath, or Ann Sexton.
Better yet, explore all the poetic styles. The best poets are ever full of surprises - that is exactly what makes them great.
Read, read, read. Continuing to write poetry without ever reading great poetry constitutes a crime against common sense. We need to learn the basics.
We cannot even imagine anyone calling himself an architect who had not studied and dissected the best buildings in the world. Likewise, we wouldn’t trust a carpenter who promised to build a sturdy chair without first studying various well-constructed chairs. But somehow, many poets think they can become great writers without even going back to look at the poetic work of the masters.
Put your own writing on hold for few hours while you peruse the poetry of the best writers in the English language. The sweet pastry of poetic talent is sitting right in front of you. Taste it often.
Keep your hero handy. Volumes of traditional poetry can be found in any bookstore or public library. You’ll have lots to choose from. However, if you don’t have the space, you can still "own" a portion of your favorite poetic works. Many websites offer catalogued poems by famous writers.
For instance, PoemHunter.com features a searchable database of poetry as well as lyrics and quotations. You can also download any number of free poetry e-books in pdf format. Each book contains the poems of a single poet.
At poets.org, you can browse poetry by poetic schools and movements, or poems by occasion.
As a poet, you have no excuse for neglecting the study of your craft.
In the coming weeks, we will explore specific methods for improving your craft by studying and emulating your favorite poets. By taking each poem apart and reconstructing its highlights in your own voice, you will see new possibilities in the realm of poetry. Creativity truly has roots in watching, learning, and recreating.
An unexpected blessing will come to you as you read more poetry - you will begin to feel like an intrinsic part of the whole world of poetry
You will find not only a new hero, but a renewed interest in writing your own words for the world to remember. And someday, when your writing is widely published, an interviewer will ask you, "Who are your greatest influences in poetry?" You will have the answer immediately.
Exercise:
Do an easy exercise this week! Read at least twenty poems by some of your favorite masters. Make notes as you read - start with the poet’s name and the title of the poem. Then expand your notes by including what you like best: the rhythm, the brevity, the intensity, the full development of an idea. Hold on to these notes, because we will use them in later exercises.
So get your fingers covered with flour this week. Dig in and make a mess inside your mind. Don't worry; it will all clean up very nicely. And what sweets you will bake up once you have all the necessary ingredients!
Staff Editor Patty Zion welcomes your editing questions and comments. You may reach her by e-mail at