Pushing the Boundaries

Yesterday I was in the studio recording a series of short radio shows in my Poets Corner slot for CrossRhythms Radio. The show is divided into two short sections with a music track played in between. In the first section I provide some background and context for my poem choice, and in the second section I perform the poem. It's simple but effective and the shows go out every weekday afternoon. 

In one of my shows yesterday I talked about experimental poetry and told the story of how I became interested, and then inspired by avant garde poets and writers. Here's the story again for those many of you who will never get the chance to listen to the show.

I was in my late teens, and had been writing poetry for a short while during my school years. Now in my first job at a local college, I was seconded for a week or so to work in the college library. It was quite a large library in several floors, and the book stacks were huge. One of my tasks was to preserve some of the paper back books by removing their covers, and then rebinding them in hard covers, with the original paper outers incorporated into the new cover. It was fun, although fiddly, and I always managed to get my fingers covered in glue. 

During this time, the library was disposing of many of its old stocks of books. These included poetry and other literature. I spotted a pile of old poetry books and asked one of the library staff what was happening to them. She replied that they were being thrown out, and that if I wanted any I should just take them. I carried a boxful home with me, and I still have most of them in my collection. 

Some that caught my eye included works by e. e. cummings, Charles Bukowski and Philip Lamantia. These great American poets wrote amazing out-of-left field poetry that left me gasping for breath. I never knew that the English language could be manipulated in such inventive ways! Then I read the work of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, who created vast lyrical landscapes of metaphors, similes and wordplay that inspired me even more.  

Soon I began to write in similar ways, not in blind slavish copying, but through experimentation and trial and error. I began to perform my new experimental poetry live, and got more positive responses than I did negative ones (you'll always get both). I'm now at the point in my poetry life where I feel I can push the boundaries continually to try to find new ways of experessing myself and new ways of manipulating the English language to create new wordscapes. 

My interactive textbook Creative Deviance and more recently my poetry collection eXp exemplify this creative risk taking and showcase what I have found to be possible. I hope in time these books will inspire poets to push their own boundaries just as cummings et al inspire me to push my own.

Steve Wheeler

Photo (c) Wheelsong Books Ltd

SPECIAL OFFER: If you purchase a copy of Creative Deviance directly from Wheelsong Books: wheelsong6@gmail.com you will also receive a copy of eXp absolutely free. 

The Ghost of Dylan Thomas

One of Britain's greatest modern writers, Dylan Marlais Thomas had a huge impact on my youthful aspirations to write poetry. To be fair, he has an impact on just about everyone who has ever read his work. I first stumbled across his poetry as I was working in a college library. 

Still a teenager at the time, I began to read through his poetry and was utterly impressed by how different it was. I soon determined to write in my own esoteric, metaphorical and image-laden version of his style.

It was only last week, while on holiday in West Wales that I once again stumbled on Dylan Thomas - this time, as I visited his resting place. Thomas was born in Swansea in 1914 and died in 1953 in New York City, during the rehearsals of his play Under Milk Wood. He is buried in the churchyard of St Martin's in the Welsh town of Laugharne. 

When I visited the graveside, I was surprised to see that unlike all its surrounding stone burial plots, the poet's grave is a mound of bare earth, beneath a simple milk-white wooden cross that bears his name. He is appropriately buried 'under milk wood'.

I also visited his writing hut (pictured top), overlooking the sea, in which one can see his old writing desk, chair draped with one of his favourite jackets, and numerous other artefacts from the writer's tragically brief life.

Later, I had a drink in one of his notorious watering holes, Brown's Hotel, which is replete with artefacts and memorials to his name. The hotel reeks of 1930s decadence, and is redolent of raucous, smokey, whisky-fuelled nights. 

Laugharne is a magical place, tucked into the mystical underbelly of West Wales. It was acknowledged by the author himself as the town in which Under Milk Wood was set. It's said that whenever Dylan Thomas was in a fallow period, he would always return to Laugharne to regain his muse. 

Whether the ghost of Dylan Thomas haunts these places is unknown, but the power of his legacy certainly exudes a potent and evocative presence in the place. 

Steve Wheeler

Photos copyrighted by Steve Wheeler, 2024

Experimental Poetry 11: Paraphrasing

A paraphrase or rephrase is where you re-write a text using different words without losing the meaning of the original text itself. It's an experimental technique poets can use to infuse a deeper level of creativity into their previously written words. It's a rich form of reiteration. In jazz music, especially the more experimental forms, you may never hear the same phrase played twice. This is because the musicians understand that within the tempo and root chords, just about anything is possible. It's the same with poetry, except there are even less constraints than in jazz! That should tell you just how free and creative you can be in your writing.

Method 19: Try this: Go back to one of your previously written poems and examine it. Are there words or phrases you could improve upon? Are there lines that could benefit from a make-over? Let me give you some examples of poetry that would not have been as impressive if it hadn't been developed by the writer...

There is a classic poem called Mandalay, by English poet Rudyard Kipling. It's a fabulous, entertaining poem containing many inventive lines... one that stands out for me is '...an' the dawn comes up like thunder....' He could easily have written '...and the sun rises in a spectacular way...' but it would not have been as effective. 

Another more recent classic by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas has the first line 'Do not go gentle into that good night...' Again, it would be simpler to say 'Do not fade slowly in death...' but this wouldn't have been as poetic. 

Are there words or phrases in your old poems that could do with a make-over? I know there are in many of mine! 

Steve Wheeler

Previous posts in this series

Experimental Poetry 1: Found Poetry
Experimental Poetry 2: Stream of Consciousness
Experimental Poetry 3: Fake Translations
Experimental Poetry 4: Overlapping Voices
Experimental Poetry 5: Random Prompts
Experimental Poetry 6: The Movie Method
Experimental Poetry 7: Unexpected End Rhymes
Experimental Poetry 8: Calligrams
Experimental Poetry 9: Anarchic Poetry
Experimental Poetry 10: Timed Writing

Image from pxhere used under a Creative Commons licence

Writing great poetry

Is there a secret to writing good poetry? There are certainly no real rules. Watch Dead Poets Society, where the teacher tells his students to tear out the turgid introduction to 'How to Write Poetry', because it is rule bound, and actually stifles creative expression rather than encouraging it.  

So how do you go about writing a good poem? What is the process by which you end up with verse that is lyrical, beautiful to read, with some emotional impact? 

Well, the clue should be in the three elements I just listed. Let's take them one at a time...

Lyrical - what does it mean? Think of the lyrics in a song (more on this in a moment). Or think of the work of some of the masters of poetic expression. They don't simply say it as it is. William Wordsworth didn't just walk about a bit. He wandered lonely as a cloud (a simile). Dylan Thomas didn't write blandly about death - he raged against the dying of the light (a metaphor). Think deeply about what you are trying to describe and then go the extra mile. Nothing is off the table in poetry. Language can be made to mean what you want it to mean. Experiment, take risks, and write lyrical poetry that gets people thinking. Step out of the rut of the ABAB rhyme and try to colour outside the lines you've imposed upon yourself. 

Secondly, poetry should be beautiful to read. Now beauty is in the eye of the beholder (you can remove it with any eyewash). Essentially, poetry is subjective. Some may love your writing while others might despise it. Most will be fairly ambivalent, so it's up to you as the writer to convince your audience to keep reading. How do you captivate them? Think about the poetry of Paul Simon: 'My eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light, that split the night...' or 'The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls, and tenement halls...' and see how he generates a stark urban imagery for his classic song Sound of Silence. There are various devices, tempos, formats and literary techniques you can employ to create atmosphere, tell a story or capture your reader's attention. Many are already presented in previous posts on this blog, so you'd be very silly not to explore them, wouldn't you? 

Finally, emotional impact. Yes, you can write a poem that is devoid of emotions, but such poems tend to be bland and sterile. Most poets have been through some kind of trauma, heartache or sadness in their lives. Write about your experiences, and you'll naturally have emotional impact.  Emotion can also present as joyful, angry or fearful, or a whole range of other expressions. Your poetry doesn't have to be melancholic to have emotional impact. It can be humorous, or it can be quizzical. Whatever you're writing, write it with some passion, and it will naturally have an emotional impact. 

Steve Wheeler

Image source Flickr

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

Poetic devices 2: Metaphors

Last week I introduced my new series on poetic writing devices and posted a piece on the use of similes in poetry. In this second post in the series we're going to explore the use of metaphor. 

Now perhaps you're thinking what is the difference between a simile and a metaphor? Well I can best illustrate the difference by employing both devices directly. I might say for example 'He has a brain like a computer!' - and that's a simile. Or, I may instead say 'His brain is a computer!' - which is a metaphor. The first device compares his brain to a computer. The second suggests it is a computer. This is the power of the metaphor. A metaphor states that one thing is another thing. Although the reader knows it isn't true, it nevertheless offers a powerful figure of speech to enrich a comparison. Metaphor goes one step beyond simile. It transforms comparison into symbolism. It is a rhetorical device. And there are metaphors everywhere just waiting for you to use them... (What could the image above denote?)

There are numerous examples of metaphor in poetry. In fact they are everywhere.

In Emily Dickinson's poem Hope we see her speaking of hope as a bird:

Hope is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all

Hope doesn't really assume the form or characteristics of a bird of course. She doesn't even use the word 'bird' - but simply alludes to it as 'the thing with feathers'. The power of the metaphor is there for the writer to wield - and Dickinson uses the device very powerfully here to imply that hope lives like a perched bird inside her, and it sings an endless song. 

The arch proponent of the metaphor in poetry of course, has to be Dylan Thomas. In perhaps his most celebrated poem, Do not go gentle into that good night, Thomas uses night as a metaphor for dying. He's not talking about the setting of the sun here, nor is he wishing his father a good night. He's literally pleading with his to fight against death.  

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.

Another classic example of metaphor use in poetry is our very own Tunisian bard Rafik Romdhani. He is so prolific in the use of metaphors, that he has published an entire book of poetry called Dance of the Metaphors. Most recently, in a new collection called Vapour of the Mind, Rafik writes: 

Hours are flat tyres

on potholed asphalt roads

Dreams were first moans

before their explosions

We are figments of fiction

caught up within our own minds

This short poem is absolutely laced with metaphor. Hours become flat tyres. Dreams emerge as moans. Then explosions. He paints a dramatic and highly evocative picture of mundane every day life, with very few words. This is the power of the metaphor. Try it in your own poetry and see how far you can push it.

Steve Wheeler

Image from HippoPX used under a Creative Commons Licence

Melody

Melody is an essential component of poetry. It is the musical element that gives a poem its rhythm, tone, and emotional impact. Melody can be created through a variety of poetic devices, such as rhyme, alliteration, and repetition. In this blog, we will explore the importance and effectiveness of melody as a writing option in poetry.

Firstly, melody can help to create a memorable and emotional experience for the reader. A poem with a strong melody can at times be more powerful and impactful than one without. This is because melody can create a mood or tone that resonates with the reader and stays with them long after they have finished reading the poem. For example, the poem "Annabel Lee" by Edgar Allan Poe has a haunting melody that adds to the poem's eerie and melancholic tone. Sometimes just as we get musical notes in our head, the musical flowing of words can generate this as well. 

Secondly, melody can help to unify a poem and give it structure. A well crafted melody can tie together different parts of a poem and create a sense of coherence. This is particularly important for longer poems or poems with multiple stanzas. For example, in the poem "The Waste Land" by T.S. Eliot, the repeated refrain "April is the cruellest month" helps to unify the different sections of the poem and create a sense of continuity.

Thirdly, melody can help to convey the meaning of a poem. By using poetic devices such as rhyme and repetition, a poet can emphasize certain words or ideas and create a deeper meaning. For example, in the poem "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" by Dylan Thomas, has the repeated refrain "Rage, rage against the dying of the light," which emphasizes the poem's central theme of one fighting against death.

Finally, melody can make a poem more enjoyable to read and listen to. Just as a good melody can make a song more enjoyable to listen to, a well-crafted melody in a poem can make it more enjoyable to read. This is particularly important for spoken-word poetry or poetry that is meant to be performed. A strong melody can capture the attention of the audience and make the poem more engaging.

In conclusion, melody is an important and effective writing option in poetry. It can create a memorable and emotional experience for the reader, unify a poem and give it structure, convey the meaning of a poem, and at times make it more enjoyable to read and listen to. Poets should consider experimenting with different melodies as a tool to enhance their poetry and create a deeper connection with their readers.

Brandon Adam Haven 

Image by: Brandon Adam Haven 

Villanelle

A villanelle is a French verse form consisting of five three-line stanzas (known as tercets) and a final, four line stanza (known as a quatrain). 

The first and third lines of the first stanza are repeated alternately in the following stanzas. 

One of the most famous villanelles was written by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. Look at the format. and pay attention to the repeated lines:

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieve it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

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.

It's a very clever poem, written about the passing of the poet's father. You might feel inspired to write a villanelle yourself. It's certainly a challenge if you've never tried before, but have a go ... and you may surprise yourself. Ultimately, you will have learnt a new poetry skill and you never know where it may lead you!

Please feel free to post your villanelle poems in the comments box below and I will comment on them.

Steve Wheeler

Image from Pxfuel used under a Creative Commons licence

Writing a Villanelle

This is a blog  that I posted as a lesson in both the INVISIBLE POETS and the WHEELSONG POETS groups on Facebook. Both are living breathing and dynamic aspects of what Wheelsong is about and has to offer. We are very proud of our roster of amazing poets, and their level of engagement. 

Steve Wheeler asked that I place it on the Wheelsong Blogspot as well, so here it is as follows! Please feel free to join in and follow the prompt to post your poems here just as our poets on Facebook do! I will be more than happy to read them and share some collaboration on the colorful villianelle form!

                                      

I’ve been overwhelmed with not only the DIVERSITY of the content incorporated into your group  poems lately, but also the SKILL with which everyone is expressing their themes. 

This exercise is for those poets that are willing to work their expressions into various forms that are used by those masters of old we love so much. Today over our shimmering horizons of creation comes that most versatile of forms, the VILLANELLE (or the VILLAINESQUE).

This form, once tamed, is not as villainous or difficult as it may seem! I would go into the history of it, which is amazing, but this is an exercise. We are focusing on writing here!

It simply consists of five three line stanzas and a final quatrain, with the first and third lines of the first stanza repeating alternately in the following stanzas. These two lines (known as refrains) form the final couplet in the quatrain (or four line kind of line grouping).

Historically, this form on the whole deals with various kinds of obsessions, which appeal to outsiders. The repetition within the verse defies convention to create something very unique. It’s a clever way to write a poem that seems very intricate, but follows a rather simple pattern. 

One of my heroes, Dylan Thomas, used this form to write his master craft poem “Do Not Go Gentle Into The Night”. Notice how the above rules apply in his following effort…

                                     —

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

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.

                                     —

Pay close attention to the end rhymes and where the repeating verses are set within the poem! They are subtle, but are most effective when crafted properly. It’s a bit like fitting your poem together like a puzzle, with a dazzling picture to admire once the puzzle is set out upon your table.

I invite you to stretch your poetic wings and write a villanelle. Start with an overlying theme within the repetitions of the first three lines that you want to dance with, then go on to spin your partner around in the next four three line verses. The end four line verse sums it all up and repeats your theme. There is no syllable count, which is nice. USE DYLAN’S PLACEMENTS AS A TEMPLATE TO REFER TO IN PLACING YOUR WORDS.

This exercise is another step in adding weapons to your expressional arsenal. The more arrows you have in your poetic quiver, the more you can practice hitting the bullseye as a real deal poet with your variable forms!!!

Good luck my poet friends! Also, please POST YOUR VILLANELLES IN THE COMMENTS below so I can acknowledge your works in a subsequent post. The more you write and get your name out there, the more you will get noticed! And you deserve recognition. EVERYONE OF YOU!

Also, feel free to comment on the submissions below. We are here to not only be recognized, but to recognize others. We are learning and supporting each other like all families do. Only our family is WORLDWIDE!!!!!

As always, the writer writes. I am with you, and I will be commenting on your poem as we go!!! Good luck dear poet, and write on!!! 🚀

Moderatin’ Matt Elmore 

Passion for Poetry

Why did I start to write poetry? What was the catalyst? It all began when I was around 18 or 19 years old. I was working at a local college, in the technical department that supported academics and students in their teaching and learning. I was seconded to the library, where one of the tasks was to take valuable paperback textbooks and prolong their lives by removing the flimsy covers, and dismantling them, before pasting them onto card and then reconstructing them with a laminate cover. Thus I learnt how to book-bind. 

While working in the library over those months, I happened by chance to walk past the literature section, and there... in the middle shelves, I found the works of Dylan Thomas. I admit, at first, it was heavy going, but after a while of reading the Welsh bard, I became seriously hooked on poetry. The library was throwing out a pile of old poetry books that had seen better days. I managed to grab a dozen or so, and took them home to read - I still have them in my collection today. One particular Penguin edition contained the work of Charles Bukowski, Harold Norse and Philip Lamantia - three American poets that inspired me further. 

Soon afterwards, I was writing my own experimental forms of poetry, and eventually, I began to perform my work at festivals, open mics and so on. It's important to acknowledge your roots and inspiration. For me the encounter with these four poets led me down the road to a lifelong love of poetry, both reading and writing. 

What was your inspiration? What has fuelled your passion for poetry? Why are you writing poetry right now? Answers in the comments box below please!