Simple Pimple

Pop the zit that is festering on your brain, making you think that simple is a bad thing. Sometimes simple is good. Plain no, simple yes. Here is an example.

"Love, unyielding flower, hearts desire this hour.
Under spells and mysteries, craving this power."

Simple rhyme scheme, simple words, nothing extravagant. Powerful imagery can still be crafted with small words, not to give an impression that you shouldn't use complex words either.  Keep it simple when you want to engage the reader on a more personal level without making them think as much about the poem as you do about the idea or thing behind the poem.

Conveying the idea passionately is the most important thing in poetry, can you strike a balance?

-The Po'et

Fill up the water tank!

Fill it up with a lot of words, drain the tank, pick out the words that seem to scream out at you.

Ahh, now the question is, did you pick words that are engaging, or words that were simple and uninteresting. Well if you picked the later, you've no chance of carving out a career in writing or in poetry. Did you pick obfuscate over confuse? Perhaps miscreant over scoundrel? Scoundrel isn't really that bad, but still.

Lets say you chose the right words, do you know how to string them together properly to impact the reader, yes, no, maybe so. Take this shining light of an example from Lord Alfred Tynneson.

"Like some bold seër in a trance,
Seeing all his own mischance—
With a glassy countenance"

Baldwin, James (2011). Six Centuries of English Poetry Tennyson to Chaucer (Kindle Locations 356-357). Kindle Edition.

Now, take that shining example and tell me, what about that made it have impact? Several things chap, several things. Beginning with the use of bold and interesting words like seer, and countenance. He also took them and gave them meaning within the poem, gave them a scheme and a place. It so happens that he also masterfully used end rhymes and he had excellent mastery of meter. This isn't necessary but nonetheless does help to captivate your reader.

Until next time poets, Adieu.

-PoeTry Buff

P.S. It is supposed to be an imaginary tank of water, you didn't fill up a real tank of water and put words in it did you? Oh my.... I am terribly sorry.

Jane

Cannot be plain, come on people.  I see this as becoming the number one common truth in modern poetry.  There are enough words in the English language to fill up an abyss, yet we use words that are commonplace.  If you watch Bill O'reilly at all, and I don't care if you do, then you know there are some great words out there like bellwether, raucous, poltroon, et cetera.  Use these words, go to Dictionary.com and look up unique and unusual words.


Create a poem that pulls the reader in and makes them thinks but still draws a fantastic picture.  That is to say we want to see grandeur and delusions damn it! :)

So, I think we'll keep it simple like this, no? Yes. I want you all to know that I have published my first e-book.  It is a masterpiece titled Composing the Perfect Poem in 5 Easy Tips!  The link to this will be coming forthwith, after I make some corrections to it, yes I already screwed up. 


I should introduce myself, I'm an aspiring author and current student in the mastery of the English language, I hope to obtain a 9th degree belt that is blue.  Anyway, I don't think that will happen but they may give me a piece of paper.  My name is Tim, your name is?  Please anyway sit, make yourself at home, i'll share poetry and tips with you, but you have to buy my books.


Thank you kindly,


-Tim