LITERATURE ENTRY WEEK SIX
Poetry?
Why?
Why not?
MG asked this week “Why do we write poetry?” Some interesting comments returned......
“to challenge society’s ideology”
“to capture special moments”
“memories”
“thoughts / dreams / ideas”
“constructed words that write themselves”
“intense source of human experiences”
Poetry can be such a platform to voice various opinions. Whether it is political, religious, environmental or simply a personal experience, I know many people who say they “hate the stuff” and say it only infuriates them. I on the other hand “love the stuff”. There’s nothing quite as fulfilling as the deeper understanding to a really complex poem. The tragedy is that poems can be so deeply dissected that the meaning is therefore lost in translation. Poetry is a universal language that resonates from the heart. Heartache or love can be weaved within the inner workings of a poem or a harsh word can be explicitly blunt with a sharp shot to the mouth or ear.
The challenge I’ve had and still working on is voicing my own opinion and feeling confident in my response. The technique of dissecting and divulging is an art in itself. But is the central idea of poetry “identity”; the identity of the subject or the poet or perhaps the identity of the words themselves. So often in life we live with the struggle to establish our own identity or create an identity for something or someone else. I like to think of poetry as “a seed of life that grows within the mind”. The constant nourishment of words to cultivate and multiply knowledge will never die if there are people who believe and chose to doubt.
During the lecture we studied Christopher Brennan and John Shaw Neilson to name a few. We were asked to write a few lines in the style of both writers. Here is a sample of what I wrote:
In the style of Christopher Brennan -
Dragon lair deep dark desolate
remorseless rock of warriors lost
victory conquer callous duress
insomnia malnourished and repress
In the style of John Shaw Neilson -
Walk amongst the clover
Make a wish or two
Secrets in heaven
The love from me to you.