A Book Review Of “This Broken Home” by Brandon Adam Haven

A presence engulfs the room… a shadow of darkness unidentifiable save for immense gravity weighs down upon your weary soul. Yet beyond the darkness, a light of hope beckons close within your grasp… which shall you finally embrace?

This struggle of balance between dark and light is at the heart of “This Broken Home”, the newly published Wheelsong work of Brandon Adam Haven. A complete dark thriller exploring the darkest stygian depths of despair at the surface, an undercurrent of redemption lies at the heart of the book. Written with such an exemplary and exciting emotive spirit, this tension perpetuates the turning of the page to see what is next!

“This Broken Home” elevates emotional themes started within Haven’s last brilliant work “Into The Grey”. His life experiences overcoming crippling addictions, near death health issues, and diminishing personal loss fuel his poetry into a supernova like heat that often burns with every word. Haven’s effort is both captivating and relevant to anyone coping with this existence.

In addition to poignant poetry, the book explores haunting themes within three entertaining short stories as well. Adding a surprising dimension to the writers work, quick zingers such as “The Tale Of Marybelle Lynn” suggest shades of Edgar Allan Poe within a tragic haunting love story of a troubled man and a beautiful apparition. 

“The Orchard of Montery ” is a complete to be continued frightfest of a demonic scarecrow that harrowingly murders a family moving into a haunted house. Also, “The Cleansing Of Monieden” offers a quick tale of an island kingdom that celebrated its own health by drowning the disabled, only to have them return from the dead to vengefully return the favor. 

Haven’s ability to capture suspense by delightful yet frightening uses of characterization and detailed actions within extremely creepy settings make his macabre stories fabulously enjoyable.

His assembly of poems carry the book to even higher heights with offerings like “Where Time Froze”, which extends the metaphors of the book’s title with lines like:

This crumbling home so bare and amort

Succinct with frozen smiles and imputed faith 

They endure through time spoken softly

Denigrating to the core with silent decay

The use of words like “decay” “faded” and “grey” continually reflect the authors affected condition throughout the book in poems such as “Back Into The Grey”, “The Necropolis Of Solitude”, and “Lost In Time”.  The complexities of reconciling loss are explored in diverse angles as well in gems like “The Glowing Cinema” and “The Carousel Of Dreams”.

Havens poetic imagery and superlative emotional navigation continue to soar with ambitious forays into expression like “Far Harbor” and “”Amber Night”, the latter which glimmer with the following golden nuggets lines:

I dashed to earth the summer air

Charmed by light, whisper and motion

Let me dwell by the frenzied lair

As I continue forth my notion 

The succinct dark poetry breathes so heavily throughout this work, it almost supersedes the other more prevailing elements of hope. A redemptive spirit begins to take shape from the middle to the end of the book in such showstoppers as “Visions Of Angels”, “Scarlet Leaves”, and “Afraid Of Dying”.  

More than merely poems, Haven’s diverse turns captivate the reader with what the author no doubt experienced nearly dying upon a number of occasions . They come out of his own relations with life and death and all the shattering realms in between.

Stand out redemption poems such as “Awaken”, “The Amorist”, and “New Day” solidify an unseen foundation on which the author built the dark structure of this collection. The following phrases from “Awaken” suggest an ascent from the prevailing abyss…

I loathe rise and glow in such a glimmering shine

Love and hope, chisel away the stone of my heart

To many tears lately I’ve shed

Now for hopefulness to embark

In addition to the next level poetry and prose Brandon displays, the accompanying illustrations accentuate each poem and story. Pictures taken by the author himself provide a focused visualization into an image of what each work symbolizes. These images really carry the book, and excite the imagination.

“This Broken Home” not only illuminates Haven’s elevated progress with narrative and poetic forms, it also allows us an insight into even higher heights he has yet to achieve. Brandon’s is a completely original style that is not only enjoyable to read, but challenges the limits of our very souls with masterful expression and extensive  knowledge of the poetic craft.

For Brandon Adam Haven, this book represents just another riveting halt along a long winding road of original perspective and interpretation of what life has to offer… with many stops to come of awe-inspiring views of life along the way. These voluptuous vistas of future work will be well worth the wait, as Haven continues to grow and mature to the enjoyment of today’s modern poetry world.

Matt Elmore

You can purchase your copy of Brandon's new book by clicking on this link or by emailing Wheelsong Books.

Writing Italian & English Sonnets

 

In the battle of the bards concerning supersonic sonnets… let us consider the styles of Francesco Petrarch and William Shakespeare … progenitors of the Italian and English sonnets we use even today.

The intricacies of writing sonnet forms spans various variations that far exceeds the space of one blog. Here I expose the tale of the tape, if you will, in this contest of approaching Italian and English sonnets

The word sonnet comes from the Italian word sonetto, meaning “little song.”, and dates back to Italian courts of the thirteenth century, as well as the beginning of the Italian Renaissance. Italian sonnets became popular by the works of Francesco Petrarch (the above man on the left). Though he did not create the form, such popular poets as William Wordsworth, Elizabeth Browning, and Sir Thomas Wyatt came to use  it to splendid effect. 

The English sonnet of course was blown out of the water when set to pen by William Shakespeare  (the handsome fellow on the above right) at the end of the Elizabethan era in the late 1500s. English sonnets are most likely the simplest and most used of them all.

The most notable difference between Italian (Petrarchan) and English (Shakespearean) is the rhyme layout. 

The Italian sonnet is divided into two stanzas with a rhyme scheme of an octave (eight line stanza) of ABBAABBA and a sestet (six line stanza) of CDCDCD- or sometimes even CDECDE.

The English sonnet is divided into four stanzas with the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG… three quatrains (four line stanza) and a couplet two line stanza) Some alternative rhyme schemes you may like to give a shot could be ABAA CDDC EFFE GG or even ABBA ABBA CDCD CD. Changing up rhyme schemes with English sonnets makes for a fresh challenge, and can often turn up fantastic results you may not have come up with otherwise!

Both English and Italian sonnets are similar in that they are fourteen lines long, employ end rhymes, and are in iambic pentameter (unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable).

The English sonnet generally has ten syllables, though both sonnets generally allow for eleven as the poet feels it. French allow up to twelve! Why not…? C’est La vie.

Sonnets also contain a bit of a poetic touch known as a volta (or “turn” in Italian). The volta is essential to the poem, because it reverses or complicates the narrative of the first half of the poem. The meaning starts after the ninth line of an Italian style, and just before the end two lines (couplet) in English. See if you can identify them in the following works…

Here is an example of an Italian Sonnet by originator Petrarch himself!

O joyous, blossoming, ever-blessed flowers!
’Mid which my pensive queen her footstep sets;
O plain, that hold’st her words for amulets
And keep’st her footsteps in thy leafy bowers!
O trees, with earliest green of springtime hours,
And all spring’s pale and tender violets!
O grove, so dark the proud sun only lets
His blithe rays gild the outskirts of thy towers!

O pleasant country-side! O limpid stream,
That mirrorest her sweet face, her eyes so clear,
And of their living light canst catch the beam!
I envy thee her presence pure and dear.
There is no rock so senseless but I deem
It burns with passion that to mine is near.

                                       —

Here is an example of an English sonnet by the immortal bard William Shakespeare. Notice the similarities and differences.

My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips' red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.

I have seen roses damasked, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.

I love to hear her speak, yet well I know

That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.

  And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
  As any she belied with false compare.

These two sonnet forms are easy to begin with as far as jumping into the sonnet form pool. There are a number of others, with various line and rhyme patterns. However, these two are the best ones to start on, equally potent and just as relevant as the other with the proper application.

Matt Elmore

The poet in the green hoodie

The very first image used to promote Invisible Poets was a guy in a black hoodie, crouching down on a the track of a railway bridge. It was meant to depict anonymity. We used this for some time to promote the Facebook poetry group. More recently, as we approach our first birthday, we've had a bit of a revamp. The poet in the green hoodie is perhaps, more striking an image. And it's versatile, because the green poet pops up everywhere in a variety of scenarios. It's an ironic statement on the back of an ironic idea. Meta irony, if you will...

Invisible Poets was a title Charlene Phare and I dreamed up when we set up the group in early February 2023. We didn't expect it to grow into a community of more than 25,000 members, but we did aim at trying to make those poets who felt they were 'anonymous' and unrecognised into more visible artists. To achieve this, we decided to offer opportunities on Invisible that could not be found elsewhere. 

There is now a Live Poets Society show 3 times a week, from the UK, USA and South Africa, which seeks to showcase the very best in poetry from postings exclusively inside the group. We seek not only to read out the best poems, but to perform them. The shows attract hundreds of viewers. 

A group blog was set up to promote ideas about poetry, and to support poets as they develop their craft. The blog features news and views, and a large percentage of the posts are dedicated to poetic devices and forms and how to use them. This is a form of mentoring for those who choose to read the blog, and it offers free education to anyone in the group, or indeed elsewhere in the poetrysphere.

Finally, in collaboration with Wheelsong Books, we have produced several anthologies to raise the profile of poets, enable many to achieve their first publications, and through a rigorous peer review system ensure that every poem that is published has gone through the checks and balances to be certified as great poetry.

The green hoodie poet will be seen more and more as time goes by, and as the reach and influence of Invisible Poets extends out across the poetry world.

Steve Wheeler 

Invisible Poets Anthology

Just so you know... Invisible Poets is celebrating its first birthday this week. The Facebook poetry group, which at the time or writing has over 25,000 members, was set up by Charlene Phare and Steve Wheeler on February 11, 2023. It has grown exponentially thanks to the marvellous Admin and Moderator team has remained safe, active and vibrant. 

To mark the first anniversary, the first Invisible Poets Anthology has been published - in paperback, hardcover and Kindle editions. We chose 350 poems to feature in the book. The selection process was quite rigorous, so the poems you read when you open the pages will be some of the best that currently exist on Facebook poetry groups. That's quite a bold claim, but I don't make it blithely. Here's the process...

First, only poems that have featured on one of the Live Poets Society shows were considered. To be performed on the show in the first place, a poem must stand out, be unique and have an emotional impact on the hosts who select the poems each week. The poems in the list are all special in their own ways. Secondly, from this list of more than 800 poems, only the best of the best of these were selected to be included in the book. The anthology poems are diverse in style, and eclectic in their subject matter. There is literally something for everyone in the anthology.

What is even better is this... for every book sold, whether from Amazon, or from one of the online stores such as Waterstones (UK), Barnes and Noble (USA) or direct from Wheelsong Books, a worldwide charity called Save the Children will receive the same donation. This is for children caught up in disaster areas or war zones. Save the Children provide food, medicine and medical care, clothing and shelter and education opportunities for children in crisis. Wheelsong Books has been proud to be associated with the charity for the last 2 years. 

So, this anthology is not only jammed packed full of wonderful, insipiring poetry in its 300 pages, it is also doing some good for little ones who are in desperate need. What is stopping you from buying one or more copies of this beautiful book?

Steve Wheeler

Image copyright by Wheelsong Books

Writing Fun Poems

Sometimes it’s a necessity as a writer to change your shorts. 

Writing fun poems (long or short) presents one particular genre that can cleanse palettes often desensitized to the sweet prospects of joy in humor. They can be a welcome change of pace! 

A few poetic forms work quite well for tickling the old funny bone. Click on the term to learn the particulars about them!

Edward Lear made the limerick popular in his “Book Of Nonsense”, published in 1846. It’s a short five line poem with a most musical rhyme flow. Consider this gem:

There was an old man on a hill,

Who seldom, if ever stood still;

He ran up and down 

In his grandmothers gown 

Which adorned that old man on the hill.

Not exactly a knee slapper I know… but it WAS 1846! Limericks take all forms, including those of the vulgar varieties about men from Nantucket and other such doggerel.

Another short short would be a monostitch, which could be a line verse in a larger poem, or simply a one line poem. Something like “Literary gnomes make their homes in a poem”… okay, this may be a monostich that does not exactly leave you in stitches, but you get the point.

A kenning can be a blast to use… it is a two word per line poem that describes something without ever saying what it’s describing… a short funny kenning for a child would be something like: 

ankle biter

lamp smasher

bug thief

crazy maker

heart warmer

A clerihew is a quick four line poem created by Edmund Clerihew Bentley (1875-1956)  who was so bored in his chemistry class he scribbled this out about Sir Humphrey Davy (inventor of sodium):

Sir Humphrey Davy

Detested gravy.

He lived in the odium

Of having discovered sodium.

A clerihew’s first two lines rhyme, the last two lines rhyme, and the first line starts with a name. Simple… but most effective for a fast funny!

Consider this one by Invisible Poet Lorna McLaren:

Boris Johnson

sang his own swansong

stammering while addressing the nation afflicted with verbal constipation

Or this one by Invisible Poet Ally Smith:

E.T.

Alien to me

Trying hard to contact home

But couldn’t find a telephone 

Of course you can write anything in free verse using metaphors and funny wordplay. The “anything goes” format of free verse is perfect for the silly, absurd, or just straight out funny truth. I once wrote a love poem called “The Love Wrestler” which compared a professional wrestler to my girlfriend. It had lunatic lines like  “headlock on my heart” and “let down in another town with an imaginary name on my pants”.

These are not the ONLY fun forms to write with, but they are a great place to start. That and a clean pair of shorts. 

Matt Elmore

Image by: Unsplash

#poetry, #writing, #funpoems

How to write mindless poetry

Do you want to write mindless poetry? Easy. Get a machine to do it. You won't need to think about it at all. You simply press the key and the computer will write your poem for you. Sadly, this is becoming a popular trend on Facebook poetry groups. 

Several people have asked me why we ban the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) generated poetry on Invisible Poets group. It's quite simple.

Firstly, it's very lazy. Anyone can click on ChatGPT for example, and ask it to generate a poem on any subject (many other free AI tools are available). This requires absolutely no talent or creativity.  Let's say you want a five stanza poem on love. In seconds you have something like this:

In the dance of hearts, a melody sweet,
Love's symphony, in whispers discreet.
Through moonlit nights and sunlit days,
A timeless bond that forever sways.

Eyes that speak in a silent prose,
A language only true lovers know.
In every touch, a tender embrace,
Love's magic transcends time and space.

Through stormy seas or skies serene,
Love's fortress strong, an eternal sheen.
A tapestry woven with threads so fine,
Two souls entwined, an intertwining line.

In laughter shared and tears that fall,
Love weathers storms, standing tall.
A journey marked by moments divine,
A love story, forever to shine.

So let the echoes of love resound,
In every heartbeat, in love, be found.
A poem written in the language of the heart,
A masterpiece, where love is art. 

Well, at first glance, it seems like a reasonable poem. But read it more thoughtfully and you'll see it's not very good poetry. It is literally mindless. It uses cliches in a predictable 8 syllable, 4 step AABB rhyme scheme. It's bland, soulless, and takes no creativity or effort on your part.  In ChatGPT-3, the same words seem to appear repeatedly, such as serene, tapestry, entwined, embrace, eternal, etc. These are all tell-tale signs the poem was not written by a human. 

Now why would you want to put your name to such drivel? 

Furthermore, you wouldn't do it if you knew how AI actually works. It spiders (searches) all the poetry on the web (other poets' work), gathers expressions, lines and rhymes and stitches it all together so you can pretend you wrote it. It's plagiarism. It's dishonest. It's theft.

Now why would you want to associate yourself with that? And yet... and yet... a small minority in the group still persist, thinking they can fool everyone. They end up being banned from the group, and their name forwarded to the Admin of many other groups. Game over. 

If we suspect a poem has been AI generated we remove it from the group. If the member persists and posts more, we eventually remove them from the group. We throw people out of the group every week for trying to pass of AI poetry as their own. We don't lose sleep over it. We want to protect the integrity of the group and the interests of our members. There is software that can detect whether AI has been used, and we also have computer scientists on our Admin/Moderator team who are experienced in the use of AI.

So please don't even think about generating poems using AI. Write your own poetry. Poetry you can be proud of. Express yourself in your own words. Steer away from the kind of bland, soulless AI lines you see in the verses above. We don't want mindless poetry. We want soulful, authentic, from the heart poetry!

Come back at me if you disagree with any of this. I like a good fight.

Steve Wheeler 

Image from Pxhere

Punctuation In Poetry

It’s easy to just ignore punctuation and just say it’s your style to leave it all out. I know… because I have for years! Hey… that’s just my style! 

However, as I’ve gotten older, I have found that the use of particular punctuation marks really help the reader to separate ideas, organize flow, and accentuate particular themes. 

One thing that has always got me is what the difference is between colons and semicolons. Semicolons (;) are used between two complete sentences. They simply take the place of conjunctions like and, but, so, or, nor, for, yet… and so on. Colons (:) are used at the end of a statement to introduce a list of related ideas.  So there definitely is a difference.

Commas (,) might also introduce a quagmire… yet they aren’t all that complex. They simply separate words and phrases before a conjunction (like and or but), as well as separated introductory phrases such as “Before the game, I got a hot dog”.

Dashes (-) can be used as commas- but they should be used discretely. Another matter of style there! They look just like hyphens (-) which pair compound words like merry-go-round or user-friendly.

Many of these are more geared toward writing outside of poetry, yet it is good to be aware of what you can use to elevate your writing when you are a poet.

Question marks (?) are used in poetry for dramatic effect at the end of a sentence or phrase in an interrogative (or inquiring) manner. Exclamation marks (!) also place a dramatic effect in an exclamatory way… to stress passion or urgency. Look out!

Apostrophes (‘) are used to mark possession. You put the apostrophe after a plural noun such as “students’ grades” as opposed to one “student’s grades”. They replace words as in  “Johnny’s”, meaning “Johnny is…” They can also mark contractions and quotations within quotations. 

Quotation marks (“) surround words or phrases to inform the reader of something spoken or copied, as well as to quote as unique or ironic. In poetic prose, they always go BEFORE the period.

Ellipsis (…) is a curious beast. It marks the omission of a word or words. The use of it as a pause is not really grammatically correct, though I think that the ever changing grammatical world we live in considers its use to indicate there is more to be said… especially within the texting format. I use it as a dramatic pause in my poems- it’s simply another matter of style, really.

I’ve not seen much use of parentheses () in poetry, though it can be incorporated. They are usually utilized for information that is not essential (but a good footnote) to a sentence. See how I did that?! 

Lastly, minimizing capital letters tends to annoy grammatical purists. Using capital letters is proper and I will not refute that. However, it is also a manner of style. I personally do this too. It’s bad I know. But what the hey, it worked for e.e. cummings!

These punctuation marks are more than just doodles on a keyboard! They are ammunition to use in knocking down obstructions of understanding between the poet and the reader. When you know how to properly use punctuation marks, it only increases the tools you need to get your message successfully clear and precise.

I hope this is helpful! Please feel free to add anything I may have missed, and thanks for reading!

Matt Elmore