Comments on: The Sunday Poem: The State of Poetry http://www.raphkoster.com/2006/10/29/the-sunday-poem-the-state-of-poetry/ Raph Koster's personal website: MMOs, gaming, writing, art, music, books Sun, 12 Feb 2012 06:02:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: JuJutsuhttp://www.raphkoster.com/2006/10/29/the-sunday-poem-the-state-of-poetry/comment-page-1/#comment-40259 JuJutsu Thu, 02 Nov 2006 00:20:26 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2006/10/29/the-sunday-poem-the-state-of-poetry/#comment-40259 <blockquote>“I wrote a poem for you.” He froze, sudden trapped fear Shaping muscles. Once read, Twice the wrong questions Danced in his eyes.</blockquote> I hate to admit it but the reason I rarely come to the sunday poem is because this is exactly the reaction I have when I see the topic on the screen. Poetry is scary and intimidating to some of us :(

“I wrote a poem for you.”
He froze, sudden trapped fear
Shaping muscles. Once read,
Twice the wrong questions
Danced in his eyes.

I hate to admit it but the reason I rarely come to the sunday poem is because this is exactly the reaction I have when I see the topic on the screen. Poetry is scary and intimidating to some of us :(

]]> By: Caelhttp://www.raphkoster.com/2006/10/29/the-sunday-poem-the-state-of-poetry/comment-page-1/#comment-39663 Cael Wed, 01 Nov 2006 09:07:44 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2006/10/29/the-sunday-poem-the-state-of-poetry/#comment-39663 Hey Spaz, you missed out the season-word! Hey Spaz, you missed out the season-word!

]]> By: Morgan Ramsayhttp://www.raphkoster.com/2006/10/29/the-sunday-poem-the-state-of-poetry/comment-page-1/#comment-39381 Morgan Ramsay Wed, 01 Nov 2006 00:41:50 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2006/10/29/the-sunday-poem-the-state-of-poetry/#comment-39381 I probably made this comment before, but I'll say it again. A former Honors English professor once wrote to me in a critique of a writing piece, "You're an interesting writer because you are more of a poet than an analyst." I've long-held that beautifully crafted prose is more poetry than poems are poetry. The odd, disordered formatting of the poem just seems ugly and unnatural. Perhaps the effect is unique to me, but such formatting interrupts the flow of thought and causes my mind to shut down in disgust—as though I had played one-hundred games of Solitaire without ever winning. I probably made this comment before, but I’ll say it again. A former Honors English professor once wrote to me in a critique of a writing piece, "You’re an interesting writer because you are more of a poet than an analyst."

I’ve long-held that beautifully crafted prose is more poetry than poems are poetry. The odd, disordered formatting of the poem just seems ugly and unnatural. Perhaps the effect is unique to me, but such formatting interrupts the flow of thought and causes my mind to shut down in disgust—as though I had played one-hundred games of Solitaire without ever winning.

]]> By: Spazhttp://www.raphkoster.com/2006/10/29/the-sunday-poem-the-state-of-poetry/comment-page-1/#comment-38994 Spaz Tue, 31 Oct 2006 15:59:24 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2006/10/29/the-sunday-poem-the-state-of-poetry/#comment-38994 I like haiku best. You should write more of that type. It's the most succinct. I like haiku best.
You should write more of that type.
It’s the most succinct.

]]> By: Caelhttp://www.raphkoster.com/2006/10/29/the-sunday-poem-the-state-of-poetry/comment-page-1/#comment-38817 Cael Tue, 31 Oct 2006 10:00:45 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2006/10/29/the-sunday-poem-the-state-of-poetry/#comment-38817 <i>Cold autumn Sundays Always benefit from choice Read here, or pass by</i> Cold autumn Sundays
Always benefit from choice
Read here, or pass by

]]> By: Faithhttp://www.raphkoster.com/2006/10/29/the-sunday-poem-the-state-of-poetry/comment-page-1/#comment-38796 Faith Tue, 31 Oct 2006 09:34:41 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2006/10/29/the-sunday-poem-the-state-of-poetry/#comment-38796 <!--%kramer-ref-pre%-->[...] Comments [...]<!--%kramer-ref-post%-->

[...] Comments [...]

]]> By: Raphhttp://www.raphkoster.com/2006/10/29/the-sunday-poem-the-state-of-poetry/comment-page-1/#comment-38744 Raph Tue, 31 Oct 2006 04:34:46 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2006/10/29/the-sunday-poem-the-state-of-poetry/#comment-38744 I feel like I should point out that I wasn't complaining that nobody read them... as I posted when I first started doing the Sunday Poem series, I didn't really expect anyone to. :) That wasn't really what the prefatory note this week was about! But I am glad to see so many folks saying, essentially, "what the hell, I can skip 'em anyway." 'Cause I am not planning on stopping. ;) Hmm, you know, I also have a backlog of short stories... I feel like I should point out that I wasn’t complaining that nobody read them… as I posted when I first started doing the Sunday Poem series, I didn’t really expect anyone to. :) That wasn’t really what the prefatory note this week was about! But I am glad to see so many folks saying, essentially, “what the hell, I can skip ‘em anyway.” ‘Cause I am not planning on stopping. ;)

Hmm, you know, I also have a backlog of short stories…

]]> By: Michael Chuihttp://www.raphkoster.com/2006/10/29/the-sunday-poem-the-state-of-poetry/comment-page-1/#comment-38736 Michael Chui Tue, 31 Oct 2006 04:09:09 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2006/10/29/the-sunday-poem-the-state-of-poetry/#comment-38736 Heh. Personally, I'd say it strengthens the brand by diversifying without loss. You've never given any indication that the Sunday Poem is a chore or takes time away from doing other things. (Making the Andean Bird, on the other hand... hey, where IS your book? :P) I've written so little poetry, myself, and none since I started college. *frowns* I hadn't realized that. I've been doing fiction, and on Wednesday, the blitz I have no time for gets kicked off and I already know I won't make any quotas whatsoever. But it's nice to have a small weekly dose without being involved in any groups. My favorite poem by myself was tenth grade (or was that eleventh?) about dreams. My worst was a sonnet I wrote for my English teacher. It wasn't until after I'd completed it that I recalled that sonnets aren't just rhyme patterns; absolutely none of it was iambic pentameter. Oops. Heh. Personally, I’d say it strengthens the brand by diversifying without loss. You’ve never given any indication that the Sunday Poem is a chore or takes time away from doing other things. (Making the Andean Bird, on the other hand… hey, where IS your book? :P )

I’ve written so little poetry, myself, and none since I started college. *frowns* I hadn’t realized that. I’ve been doing fiction, and on Wednesday, the blitz I have no time for gets kicked off and I already know I won’t make any quotas whatsoever. But it’s nice to have a small weekly dose without being involved in any groups.

My favorite poem by myself was tenth grade (or was that eleventh?) about dreams. My worst was a sonnet I wrote for my English teacher. It wasn’t until after I’d completed it that I recalled that sonnets aren’t just rhyme patterns; absolutely none of it was iambic pentameter. Oops.

]]> By: Tesshttp://www.raphkoster.com/2006/10/29/the-sunday-poem-the-state-of-poetry/comment-page-1/#comment-38683 Tess Tue, 31 Oct 2006 01:51:02 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2006/10/29/the-sunday-poem-the-state-of-poetry/#comment-38683 I knew that someday you would remark that you weren't getting many pageviews on your poems. I knew that you were tracking your site metrics carefully, and I knew you'd be curious how many people were actually reading the poems. And I silently hoped that you would not become discouraged by the fact that not many people were reading your poems, relative to the other material in your blog -- all the while feeling vaguely guilty that I often passed over them, myself. I even occasionally considered clicking through on poems that I was never going to read, just to increase your hit count, and make you think that there were more people reading than there really were -- but then decided that this would be wrong. I write poetry (and songs, and many other things), and yet, I somehow find poetry bizarrely self-indulgent. There's something about poetry that often reminds me of those times when a friend of yours is very excitedly telling you about the weird dream he had last night, and you're trying very hard to look interested -- when in fact, you find it inexplicably tedious and boring, and you really just want it all to end. So, every time I dive into a bit of new poetry, unaware of what I will be facing, it feels like I'm trying to choke down some kind of food that I don't really like, but which I think is good for me. I would probably cease reading poetry entirely, except that the old primate gambling instinct kicks in, because SOMETIMES, when I hit the lever, good poetry comes out. I knew that someday you would remark that you weren’t getting many pageviews on your poems. I knew that you were tracking your site metrics carefully, and I knew you’d be curious how many people were actually reading the poems. And I silently hoped that you would not become discouraged by the fact that not many people were reading your poems, relative to the other material in your blog — all the while feeling vaguely guilty that I often passed over them, myself. I even occasionally considered clicking through on poems that I was never going to read, just to increase your hit count, and make you think that there were more people reading than there really were — but then decided that this would be wrong.

I write poetry (and songs, and many other things), and yet, I somehow find poetry bizarrely self-indulgent. There’s something about poetry that often reminds me of those times when a friend of yours is very excitedly telling you about the weird dream he had last night, and you’re trying very hard to look interested — when in fact, you find it inexplicably tedious and boring, and you really just want it all to end. So, every time I dive into a bit of new poetry, unaware of what I will be facing, it feels like I’m trying to choke down some kind of food that I don’t really like, but which I think is good for me. I would probably cease reading poetry entirely, except that the old primate gambling instinct kicks in, because SOMETIMES, when I hit the lever, good poetry comes out.

]]> By: Grimwellhttp://www.raphkoster.com/2006/10/29/the-sunday-poem-the-state-of-poetry/comment-page-1/#comment-38555 Grimwell Mon, 30 Oct 2006 21:34:23 +0000 http://www.raphkoster.com/2006/10/29/the-sunday-poem-the-state-of-poetry/#comment-38555 I gather that he has a sheet and it updates in real time? :) I gather that he has a sheet and it updates in real time? :)

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