Poetic devices 16: Euphony

Euphony is the opposite to cacophony. In cacophony, harsh, jarring, dischordent sounds are made, usually to draw attention to something unpleasant or dangerous. A siren wails to warn of impending danger. A harsh cry tells us something alarming is happening. In Euphony, rhythmic and harmonious sounds are made to draw attention to something pleasant or appealing. In movies, you'll note that mellow instruments such as flutes, strings or harps dominate music that illustrates a soothing, romantic or reassuring scene. 

In poetry or prose, a combination of words or a sequence of rhythmic sounds can achieve euphony. If they enjoy the sound texture or harmony, readers are more likely to enjoy the text of the poem too. The rhythm and tempo of the words in the lines is important. So too is the rhyme, whether internal or end placed. But not all poetry has to rhyme, so consonance and assonance are also important in creating euphony. Finally, repetition or refrain can also be used to create euphony. All of these have been described in previous blog posts in this series. Just click on the blue hyperlinks in the words to read those articles. 

To Autumn, by John Keats, features many of these devices to create a great euphonic poem:

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.

Notice how Keats uses regular repetition of stressed and unstressed syllables. There is also a very soothing end rhyme scheme in play. 

One of my all time favourite poems is Do Not Go Gentle by Dylan Thomas, which is presented in the form of a very pleasing, euphonic form known as a Villanelle. Here's the final stanza:

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Note that in a Villanelle, some lines naturally repeat, but it is the poet's use of soft consonants (sad, gentle, fierce) and long vowel sounds (pray, rage and good) that really gives this poem its soothing euphony. 

Previous posts in this series

1. Simile
2. Metaphor
3. Repetition and refrains
4. Alliteration
5. Assonance
6. End Rhymes
7. Internal Rhymes
8. Rhythm and Tempo
9. Enjambment

10. Allegory

11. Metonymy

12. Cacophony

13. Calligram

14. Personification

15. Paradox

Steve Wheeler

Image by Pickpik using Creative Commons

Iteration

Albert Einstein once said: 'Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results'. Well, firstly, it might not have been Einstein who said this. Secondly, if it was, in this case he didn't know what he was talking about; and thirdly, this statement clearly doesn't apply to art, and even if it did, many artists are insane anyway, so it doesn't matter. Take the case of Andy Warhol and his multiple pop art depictions of objects and famous people like the one of Marilyn Monroe above. Insane or genius? Warhol's technique wasn't so much repetition, but iteration.

Iteration is a word borrowed from mathematics and computing. Iteration is where the same process or formula is repeated again and again in order to achieve a closer approximation to the solution of a problem. Usually, for example in the coding of an AI model, a small change is made for each iteration to improve the outcome. In the real world we might say 'Try, try and try again...'

Let's face it, in poetry, we craft our art using nebulous and imperfect objects... words, phrases, sentences, rhymes, tempo, meaning. If anything outside of mathematics could possibly benefit from iteration, it would be poetry.

There are few, if any poets who can write a poem straight off the bat, with no edits or changes. Many would claim they can do it, but most are liars. I often write a draft, leave it, and then return an hour, a day or a week later, to iterate it. To polish it up, write more, remove a line or a verse. And then I thought... what if I can write several versions of the same poem, in different sequences, to see what effect that might have on my creative expression? 

Here's an example of that process of iteration, using the same words, in five different iterations... 

AT FEVER PITCH

At fever pitch
a muddy ditch
annoying twitch
a burning itch

I run a mile
a heavy trial
I try to smile
and all the while

I set the tone
pick up the phone
sink like a stone
I'm not alone

We talk for hours
we drink in bars
I send her flowers
the world is ours

NB: this version is fairly basic, simply four quatrains of end rhymes really. I wasn't happy with it as it felt a bit of a lazy effort.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

AT FEVER PITCH (2)

At fever pitch
I run a mile

a muddy ditch
a heavy trial

annoying twitch
I try to smile

a burning itch
and all the while

Pick up the phone
We talk for hours

I set the tone
we drink in bars

sink like a stone
I send her flowers

I'm not alone
the world is ours

NB: Hmmm...not fully convinced by the structure of this. Do the couplets work? However, I've mixed up the lines to see what emerges, and it's an interesting development...

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

AT FEVER PITCH (3)

At fever pitch we talk for hours
a muddy ditch we drink in bars
annoying twitch I send her flowers
a burning itch the world is ours

I run a mile pick up the phone
a heavy trial I set the tone
I try to smile sink like a stone
and all the while I'm not alone

NB: This version  seems to flow well  and the end rhymes work well, but I was still not satisfied with the structure. 

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

AT FEVER PITCH (4)

At fever pitch we talk for hours
we drink in bars a muddy ditch
annoying twitch I send her flowers
the world is ours a burning itch

pick up the phone I run a mile
a heavy trial I set the tone
sink like a stone I try to smile
and all the while I'm not alone

NB: This version, I think, is better. It has a pleasant ABAB rhyme scheme, and the internal rhymes also align to provide line balance. It's not perfect though... one more iteration maybe...

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

AT FEVER PITCH (5)

We talk for hours at fever pitch
pick up the phone I run a mile
sink like a stone a muddy ditch
we drink in bars I try to smile
I send her flowers I set the tone
a heavy trial annoying twitch
the world is ours I'm not alone
and all the while a burning itch 

NB: Even this final version is imperfect. What art is? But it tells a story, it has a flow and it has enough intrigue perhaps to draw in some readers.

Steve Wheeler © 28 December, 2023

•••••••••••••••••••••••••

Which of these five versions do you prefer? On what are you basing your choice? Maybe you don't like any of them. Here's the key question for you: would this process of iteration or re-working of a poem offer you an improved creative expression for your writing? Have a go! I would love to see your results in the comments section below. 

Steve Wheeler 

Copyrighting Poems On Social Media

I’ve written a poem and posted it on Instagram and Facebook. I’ve put it out there, but want to make sure Copycat Carl don’t claim it as his own! Just how DOES copyright apply to poems that are posted on social media?

First of all… DON’T PANIC! If you have recorded a poem in writing, it is automatically protected by copyright as long as it is an original work. Simple enough.

Copyright itself gives you the exclusive right to distribute, reproduce, perform, license, and display ORIGINAL work, including poems, songs, etc… This ownership is limited to among other things, the “fair use doctrine”, which states that others CAN use your work in a limited way for uses related to criticism, commentary, news reporting, non-profit teaching, scholarship, or research.

Also, copyrights do not last forever! The moment you post on an unrestricted social media platform… your work is considered published. In the United States generally speaking, copy written writings created after 1977, will last for the life of the author (or last surviving author of a joint work) plus another 70 years. I’m other countries it varies, but generally copyright continues not less than 50 years from publication or from the death of the author. Some may even be 95 or 100 years according to the country of location.

Of course, you can formally apply for a copyright in the U.S. through www.copyright.gov., with the standard registration being $65. 

In the U.K. and other European countries, the form of instant copyright is also generally accepted. This universal protection is guaranteed with the presence of an author’s name or website name, or even the name of an organization, a business, or a corporate name, Also needed is a current year or year range, along with a statement of ownership such as “All Rights Reserved”. This is important: NAME, YEAR, and STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP!

Also in most cases, poetry with published by a book publisher, the publisher administers the copyright for the author, but the author maintains their ownership rights. Those signing a publication agreement should check that carefully.

Jay Sizemore stated in a 2020 article that putting the “©️” symbol is a bit redundant. Placing “All Rights Reserved” with your work is better.

 If you share the work on social media, you are giving the social media platform the right to distribute the work for you. But you still are the owner. The date you post it will be considered the date of the copyright.

There is so much to copyright law… much more than a blog can handle. Just DON’T PANIC! As soon as you put it out there and no one else has, and you have name date and statement of ownership, you generally have what you need.

If I have missed anything, please feel free to add it to the comments below!! I do hope this has been helpful to you. Good luck and many successful postings to you!

Matt Elmore

Image by: Unsplash

Resources:

https://www.copyright.gov/

https://www.quora.com/Whats-the-difference-between-an-American-and-European-approach-to-copyright-law

https://medium.com/the-pom/a-message-to-online-poets-83c805c411f1

https://www.liveabout.com/copyrights-and-social-media-issues-397821

Writing Christmas Poems

 

Writing Christmas poems can be such a joy to those who look forward to this glorious time of year… when goodwill for all is at the top of many humble wish lists. Yet what goes into such holiday craftworks without the typical hubris? Consider the following poems…

Perhaps most popular to be read to little sparkling eyed tots on Christmas Eve before bedtime is “A Visit From St. Nicholas”, which become better known by its opening line “‘Twas The Night Before Christmas”. Written by  Clement C. Moore. It is the story of a visit by Santa Claus to a humble family awaiting the magic to arrive… 

"'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house/ Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;/ The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,/ In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;/ The children were nestled all snug in their beds,/ While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;…”

Published anonymously in 1823, the loaded words and phrases attributed to the anticipation of Santa with gifts continue to excite children’s imaginations even today. Sugar plums dancing in their heads! What an image! It remains a poetry essential at Christmas!

 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote of spreading goodwill through bells “wild and sweet” in “Christmas Bells“…only to end the ringing with “God is not dead/ Nor does he sleep…”… notice how he digs up the repeat of old familiar ESSENCE here… “I heard the bells on Christmas Day/ Their old, familiar carols play,/ And wild and sweet/ The words repeat/ Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

In “Little Tree”, E.E. Cummings addressed our adoration of that decorated green rallying point set up in so many living rooms by comparing it to a flower to admire and beautify in this short excerpt …  “little tree/ little silent Christmas tree/ you are so little / you are more like a flower…”

“How The Grinch Stole Christmas” remains a  staple in my home…  Dr. Seuss wrote a “Christmas Carol” of sorts about an old hermit who finds the Christmas spirit and is redeemed. The incorporation of a little girl drives home a central theme of a holiday that is all about children’s smiles … “Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!/ Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store/ Maybe Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more!…”

Oh Holy Night remains my favorite Christmas song, but it was originally a poem by Placide Cappeau written in 1843, a divinely brilliant reflection of Christ’s reason within a season. Phrases such as “a soul felt it’s worth” and “the weary world rejoices” are perfect. A true masterpiece, the chorus praising Jesus is beyond beautiful… “Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices!/ O night divine, O night when Christ was born;/ O night divine, O night, O night Divine…”

Many themes can be attributed to the Christmas season and are often reflected in Yuletide poetry. Gratuity, humility, spiritual redemption, trees, decorations, snow, gifts, family traditions, and the birth of a savior for all mankind are but a few!

Capturing the magic is done by investing into the mysteries of children, spirituality, brother and sisterhood, and an eventual peace on earth of forever silent nights. Evoke the holiday feeling!!  Create vibrant verbs to dance about holiday themes… with a reverberant message found at the end to ponder upon… as you wait for Christmas morning! 

Can you think of more Christmas poems that you love? Or attributed themes I may have missed? Please leave a comment below and let me know! In the meantime… Merry Christmas to all… and to all a good night…!

Matt Elmore

Wheelsong Books Review of 2023

2023 has been an amazing year for Wheelsong Books. I established the company in 2020 during the early months of the pandemic, basically for something to do. I set it up as a not-for-profit company to promote new and emerging voices in poetry, and also to raise much needed funds for Save the Children - a global relief charity. 

What did Wheelsong do in 2023? 

January saw the publication of the first book in the Symphoniya de Toska trilogy by American writer Marten Hoyle. Its January 19th publication coincided with the birthday of one of his favourite poets, Edgar Allen Poe. Marten's second publication was released on April 9th, the birthday of Charles Baudelaire, and the final instalment was published to coincide with the birthday of another of Marten's favourite dark writers, H. P. Lovecraft, on August 20th. How's that for symbolism?

In late February, together with my good friend Charlene Phare the Facebook group Invisible Poets was launched. The name was an ironic swipe at the fact that most poets go unnoticed and uncelebrated even though they may actually be quite brilliant (and in many cases better than those who are well-known, highly visible, published poets. The group quickly flourished, and now, at the time of writing this post, has reached 15,000 members. 

Also in February, Tunisian bard Rafik Romdhani released his third book, Vapour of the Mind through the Wheelsong Books label. As in previous books, Rafik excels in the use of rich imagery, metaphor and awesome insights into his life in North Africa. 

In March Wheelsong Books announced the call for poems for Wheelsong Poetry Anthology 2. The anthology was published in April with a stunning cover photograph (courtesy of Kerry Cole) and sold quite nicely, raising around £450 ($565) for Save the Children. As with all Wheelsong Books, it is still available on Amazon and other online outlets worldwide. In the same month I published a book called Nocturne, which featured a lot of poetry about the night, sleep and dreams, and darkness. 

In June, Matt Elmore's first poetry collection, the sublime Constellation Road was published and this was followed closely in July by Imelda Garcia's debut collection Beyond the Pyre for Wheelsong. Both books contain some stratospheric poetry, and both deserve a wide readership for their brilliance. 

September saw the publication of Wheelsong Poetry Anthology 3, which featured a stunning image by photographer Lynda Clifton. Containing over 200 poems from more than 100 poets, Anthology 3 has already sold 400 copies and continues to be available. We have so far donated £750 ($940) to Save the Children for their relief initiatives from the sales of this book.

December saw the publication of Brandon Adam Haven's second poetry book, This Broken Home, which is a darkly gothic collection of somewhat disturbing poetry and horror flash fiction. If you intend to read this book alone, I strongly advise you to keep all your lights on. 

We also relaunched Live Poets Society, which now goes out live twice each week, on Friday at 8pm (UK time) and on Tuesday at 3pm (US Eastern time). Viewing numbers have been on the increase, which this shows a healthy interest in the spoken word and live performance poetry.

The Wheelsong Books blog was also launched in the summer, with regular posts about poetry from me, alongside Matt Elmore, Brandon Adam Haven and Charlene Phare, alongside guest posts. It has so far attracted almost 30,000 views and there are some amazing, thought provoking posts on all aspects of poetry and creative writing. 

That was 2023. Let's raise a glass to the coming year and do our best to keep poetry remains alive and kicking. Wheelsong Books has a long list of publications waiting in the wings, including two more anthologies!

Steve Wheeler

Why Save The Children?

The publication of the Wheelsong Poetry Anthology series remains one of the absolute first priorities of all things Wheelsong, with ALL proceeds going to Save The Children. Why Save The Children? What does Save The Children do?

Save The Children is a charitable organization dedicated to programs involving health, education, protection, emergency response, advocacy, and localization initiatives for children worldwide. 

A staggering 118 million kids in 116 countries around the world felt the saving impact of these programs just last year (2022)…. 5 MILLION meals went to impoverished children in U.S. areas alone… 9 MILLION kids observed a quality education (4.5 million being girls)… 4.6 MILLION mothers and 16 MILLION children improved their nutrition.. 3.8 MILLION kids rescued from violence…107 MAJOR EMERGENCIES were averted in over 70 countries.

This is just ONE story of so many… in 2010 Save The Children began the “camel library” in Ethiopia. The program includes 21 camels, which are traditionally used by communities in the Somali region of Ethiopia to transport goods across the hot lowland areas. Camels can carry up to 200 storybooks at a time in wooden boxes strapped to their backs. The project currently reaches over 22,000 children in 33 villages.

Mahadiya, 13, is in grade seven in a remote part of the Somali region of eastern Ethiopia COVID-19 forced her school to close. She eagerly looked forward to the “camel library” to work its way through the arid desert lands to bring her the only education she could know. She says wants to be an engineer when she grows up!

Mahadiya confided, “Many children have become herders and some walk into the bush to look for firewood. When schools were closed (during Covid), I was very sad.  However, the camel library continued to come to our village and supplied us with storybooks. I feel very happy and I am now able to borrow and take home the storybook that I would like to read.”

Children raised concerns around increases in child labor, early marriage, and abuse due to the outbreak and closure of schools. Even today Ethiopian children and their families are facing floods, desert locusts, cholera, measles, food insecurity, and rising poverty levels. 

Save The Children assured her of protection from the dangers of child labor and exploitation… in addition to providing nutrition  and education. This is only ONE child… out of 118 million. Mahadiya no doubt still waits for that camel to bring her the books she so desperately longs for.

One child. One story. One world. One cause. Wheelsong continues to support Save The Children. Wheelsong Books founder and publisher Steve Wheeler has put in the hard work, donating £2225 ($2820) so far from the Wheelsong Poetry Anthologies. His work, the editors, and the works of the poets contributing make this possible. But we have to get the books out there. 

Please consider buying one today for a

Christmas gift, or otherwise. Your contribution not only provides quality poetry… it provides a child with needs she or he will never get otherwise in a world where so little… can often mean so much.

Matt Elmore

Image from: 

Save The Children

References:

https://www.savethechildren.org/us/about-us/media-and-news/2020-press-releases/covid-19-camel-library-takes-remote-learning-to-new-levels

https://www.savethechildren.org/us/what-we-do

Overcoming writers' block

Today's blog post is a guest post written by one of our Invisible Poets moderators Donna Smith. It contains some great advice and encouragement for all writers about a topic with which we are all very familiar.

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I have seen a few post recently where people are having writer's block or losing inspiration. 

As writers this is something we all go through and every one of us can relate to this feeling. Our brains sometimes need a switch off. We  can't be constantly thinking of the next poem or project as we have other 'stuff' going on too. 

Therefore we shouldn't be too hard on ourselves when it happens. Here are my top tips to deal with it when it does happen.

1) Don't stress or worry when it happens. Remember it happens to us all and it's only a temporary state.

2) Do what works for you. If reading others poetry helps to re-ignite the spark, all well and good. If not and reading others brilliant pieces is making you feel worse, switch off your phone and don't engage for a while and give yourself a break. 

3) Ask for a prompt or a title. When you have the theme given to you, half the job is already done. 

4) If you do want inspiration go to Matt Elmore pinned post at the top of Invisible for all the exercises. There are loads of different themes/exercises that may set you off on a specific poem and it may be a style you've never tried before. They also lead you to the wheelsong blog which is full of useful tips to help with your writing. These exercises have helped me to come up with a few poems and some have been my best work. 

5) Re-visit your own old work and correct spelling mistakes and grammar. This way you are at least doing something constructive with your writing. You may even see that a word needs adding or a different sentence would make it better. You could even end up with a completely different poem at the end of it. 

6) Delete, tidy, organise your work. Put your work into categories, genre, etc so that if/when an opportunity arises for a competition or publication for a specific type of poem, you can quickly see what you have got in that field.

7) When you can, tune in to Live Poets Society with Steve Wheeler on Invisible Poets. UK time 8pm on Fridays and new from today 8pm on Tuesdays with Matt Elmore and Brandon Adam Haven. Listening to other people's work being read out is a massive inspiration. Sometimes just hearing a certain word can set you off on your own journey.  

8) Going to go back to number 1. Just try not to worry. Know that we have all been in the same boat at some point and we understand how you are feeling. 

If anyone else has any more tips, please feel free to add in the comments section below. Happy writing. Xx

Donna Smith

Image from pxhere used by Creative Commons licence

The Invisible Poets Manifesto

Several people have asked me why Invisible Poets was set up. It happened in early March 2023, when along with Wheelsong Books ambassador Charlene Phare, I set up Invisible Poets as a public Facebook group. Within days, we had a hundred members, and within weeks it had become more than one thousand. Now growing at the rate of around 1000 each week, Invisible seems to have become one of the premier poetry groups on Facebook. The standard of poetry is high, and although there are issues to deal with (as in any large public Facebook group) there are plenty of positives to reflect on, and plenty of new initiatives to look forward to in 2024!

For those who don't yet know what we are about, and who are still asking why Invisible Poets was created, here is the Invisible Poets Manifesto in 6 key points:

1. Always give more than you take. You have a gift, which has been freely given to you. Now give back generously to others in return. 

2. Invisible Poets in an 'underground' movement. Don't try to seek fame or fortune. In poetry, you're unlikely to achieve either. Simply seek to leave the world in a better state than you found it. 

3. Use kind words to speak your truth. Kindness is more powerful than harshness, and speaks a deeper truth than animosity. 

4. Poetry has an eternal quality. Make sure the words you speak and write are worthy of being preserved long after you are gone. 

5. Reach out beyond your comfort zone to connect and collaborate with others. You may create something beautiful together you could never have achieved alone. 

6. No-one should ever be left behind. Our group is a family, and every member matters. Draw alongside those who may need your support. 

Steve Wheeler 

Founder of Invisible Poets and Wheelsong Books 

November 2023