That Cloak You Wear

Especially since this was a blazingly fast write for me, after I realized it was the 10th and I'd not put up an example for the June contest. Less than 1.5 hours which for someone who take weeks normally, months frequently, and years at times is beyond comprehension. I'll use this as an opportunity to plug structure. Once I'd decided on the rhyme scheme I had to find words and phrases that conveyed the meaning I wanted to give yet still adhered to the rules. Combine this with the fact that I NEVER (OK, just this once) write in hexameter. The most important thing about poetry, in my less than humble opinion, is that it communicates. Everything else is secondary I just find that structured poetry to be easier to write. And thank you for your comments. Now, how about you enter the June contest? The best way to learn poetry is by writing poetry and what better way to extend that than by entering a contest with rules? --Jonathan Annoying the world, one person at a time (Group discounts available)

I do not, as a rule, submit a poem and update it nearly daily. My issue here is the, for me, short creation time, some excellent critique, and my own review and realization of minor punctuation issues, of which there is still one that although glaring to me I do not, as of yet, know how to fix. So I beg your indulgence on this and promise not to make a habit of it. --Jonathan Annoying the world, one person at a time (Group discounts available)

Based on critique and feedback I have modified Line 2. Thoughts and comments are appreciated. The original line: "Falls away and quivers, shivers, and wilts to naught" Was OK but I have to admit to liking the flow and tone of the new line better. It is more direct and less passive and I feel serves to lend momentum to the read. Your thoughts are welcome and appreciated. --Jonathan Annoying the world, one person at a time (Group discounts available)

In Suck Free Poetry Volume 2: Prelude to a Battle of Wits, I have a section entitled MOTIVATION AND FOCUS. The following is the motivation and focus for THAT CLOAK YOU WEAR: ------------------------------------------------- Have you ever realized you had meant to do something and suddenly become aware that it was due nearly two (2) weeks ago? Yeah, me neither. Bull. I am the Contest Director for Neopoet.com and for each contest I write a poem as an example of an entry. Well, here it was 10 days after the contest started and I had not written anything and the contest rules did not make this an easy task. Add to that a question I received about the contest that compelled me to make some more difficult choices concerning the 12 line 12 syllable (hexameter for those who must read it) structure that had to have a rhyming pattern. Rather than choose a standard end cap, which is a favorite of mine, I went with the following: Bracketed AA Internal BB Internal CC Bracketed DD Then lather, rinse, repeat for the other two sets of 4 lines. This makes the piece read more like blank hexameter than a standard rhyming pattern and could be mistaken for free verse. So, the motivation was to create an example of a poem for the June Neopoet.com contest but I still needed a subject and fell back to an easy target for m; people who have a visceral need to be unhappy. If you’ve never met a person like this, good for you. I have and it’s wearisome at the very best. A side note, this was originally written in 1.5 hours, which, for me, is blazingly fast. I made a couple of minor punctuation modifications and, based on critique at Neopoet.com, modified line two (2) so that it was smother and created more of an impact. All in all I am pleased with this poem. It is a function of structure that it can lend a finished quality to work that may have been constructed in a smaller than normal amount of time and I believe that is the case here. ------------------------------------------------- And, finally, if you think you might be the inspiration for this work, I can tell you that unless you were married to me, you are mistaken. --Jonathan Annoying the world, one person at a time (Group discounts available)