Join the Neopoet online poetry workshop and community to improve as a writer, meet fellow poets, and showcase your work. Sign up, submit your poetry, and get started.
I'm Not Saying ALL Free Verse Sucks
This blog is my personal opinion. When you disagree, please do so in a manner that:
It's not just that I am comfortable with structured verse, it's not just that I enjoy the shortcut structured verse gives to a piece of work, and it's not just that I view structured verse much easier to write competently. It's that structured verse is more difficult to make sound pretentious than the vast majority of free verse.
And that is my main complaint with free verse. When spoken it is mostly done so in what I call the "Poetry Voice." This is a haughty, lecturing voice that drips with arrogance and an attitude of superiority. There are artificial pauses, there is shouting and exclamations for no good reason except to shout or exclaim. There is a lack of a conversation and, quite honestly, I am not all that found of being lectured to by people who are not smarter than me on the subject at hand.
This will appear to be a transgression; it is not.
I am a 3rd degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. I have taught for over 10 years. I have taken class for nearly 15 years. I also have trained with the Bo/Quarterstaff since 1977 and taught it for nearly 20 years.
So, when I started taking Judo, with all my background and experience and credentials, what was my attitude toward the yellow belts? The people who were one (1) step above me? Respect and attentiveness. Judo and TKD are not the same. Judo and stickwork are not the same. Judo was something different so, even with all of my experience, I shut up, listened, and did what I was told.
I've been writing for 40 years. I've been writing seriously for over 30 years. I've been studying writing and styles and form and structure and theme and development and all the rest for over 20 years. None of this makes me better than anyone else; it only makes me knowledgeable in the field. Knowledgeable enough to not tolerate being lectured at by those who are not smarter than me on the subject at hand.
So when I see "it's my style" or "true poetry is from the heart" offered as an excuse for poorly constructed verse, I dismiss it as claptrap and garbage. When I hear the poetry voice used to recite a piece of this claptrap and garbage and pretend it is much more important than it is or ever will be, I know the person involved is both massively insecure and not nearly as talented as they believe they are.
They may be talented, hell, they may be more talented than me, but they are nowhere near as talented as they assume they are and pretend to be and thus they will stay at whatever level of incompetency they possess and folks will eventually tire of the pompous nature and move on to some equally banal and pretentious person.
Because in my mind poetry, real poetry, is independent of style and it just must speak to, not at, to the audience. It must also show some signs that more than a colon's span of thought was put into it and this is the other reason I tend to avoid free verse.
Van Gogh painted in a new fashion for the time, as did Picasso. Both of these artists, however, learned the existing methods of painting before going on to establish new rules and styles. Picasso and Van Gogh put time and effort and hard work into learning their craft and as such where able to transcend the established environment and herald in new schools of thoughts.
If a poet chooses to write in free verse but can intelligently discuss meter and style, I suspect their work will both be better constructed and more consistently readable. Too often, however, people use the free verse style to vomit onto a page and call it poetry and recite it to each other in the aforementioned poetry voice.
Let's hold two examples up side-to-side.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH6fC3W3YvA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbqF_QcOIxY
One is an accepted modern poet of note, one is Shakespeare. Is it fair to compare the two? Hell yes.
Because folks demand that modern free verse, as presented, is the equal of Shakespeare and this was the intent and presentation of the author, not a bastardization of the idea.
Who really believes that in 400 years Elizabeth Alexander will be remembered? In 400 years Shakespeare will still be remembered, performed, updated, etc because Shakespeare, who himself stole ideals and concepts, structured them and presented them well and memorably.
Because Shakespeare spoke TO his audience, not at them. Because in the day of Shakespeare he required the common folks to pay for the performances so he might do something silly like eat.
Free verse, as implemented widely, states that craft is unimportant, that practice and consideration is not required, that reflection and critique is a waste of time. Free verse, as widely implemented, is the opposite of poetry, the opposite of art. It is self-indulgent and small minded and deserves no more consideration than any other fad purported by pre-teens.
Free Verse as implemented by those who actually study poetry can be poignant and beautiful and groundbreaking. Free Verse as written and crafted by those willing to dig into how poetry is created and learn to avoid the mistakes that have been identified, the traps others have tripped, the morass which is raw and unconsidered tantrums of emotion, this free verse is worthwhile.
The problem is that this free verse takes time and effort and a mind open to change and most people claiming they are poets and claiming everything they write is complete, to the poor grammar for no good reason, to the spelling mistakes, not intentions, to the cliches that have worn us out 40 years ago, these people cannot be bothered.
Because they are writing from the colon or some other body part and they insist that's OK.
And it ain't.
Think of it this way.
Not every architect can be a Frank Lloyd Wright. This does not mean anyone can call themselves an architect. Hell, anyone can draw lines on a page and call it a building plan but only the architect, with the required education and study will understand tensile strengths and load and how to mesh design and functionality.
Anyone can go to Home Depot and buy a pile of building materials and slap them up and call it a house and all of their friends can ooh and aahh over it and tell them it is pretty and make them feel good, but it ain't a house and no one will remember it in 4 years, much less 400.
Am I saying then that if you cannot be bothered to consider the need to learn about poetry as an art and that if you are not willing to hone your skills and that if you are uninterested in giving and providing critique that all you are doing is wasting time?
Unless you are the rare natural savant, yes, that is exactly what I am saying.
Because unless you can show, not shout, show, you are smarter than me on the subject at hand, there is no reason I need listen to anything you say.
You have an idea? Great! Seriously great. You want to work with folks rather than tell them they don't understand? Wonderful! You want to dig into a line to find out why it created a dissonant nature when you were looking for a harmonious transition? Hey, folks can help.
You want to say "It's my style?"
Then go pound sand along with the rest of the folks who mistake Free Verse as an excuse to write pedantic angst disguised as the leavings of dung beetles. Because if you are not here, at a workshop, to learn and get better, then all you are doing is wasting the time of anyone who has to suffer through your crap.
With my crap, I am begging for help, that's part of what makes it a workshop. Don't like that? Tough.
And have a nice day.
Final note. If you are already better than me, I get it. Obviously I am not smart enough to understand your genius. Don't spoil the situation by showing everyone what a moron you are and giving me the opportunity, for my own amusement, of verbally slapping you upside the head with bull testicles.
Because I will buy a set just to do that; you know I will.
- States your point
- Provides some coherent thought to support your point
- Refrains from being unamusingly, to me, insulting
It's not just that I am comfortable with structured verse, it's not just that I enjoy the shortcut structured verse gives to a piece of work, and it's not just that I view structured verse much easier to write competently. It's that structured verse is more difficult to make sound pretentious than the vast majority of free verse.
And that is my main complaint with free verse. When spoken it is mostly done so in what I call the "Poetry Voice." This is a haughty, lecturing voice that drips with arrogance and an attitude of superiority. There are artificial pauses, there is shouting and exclamations for no good reason except to shout or exclaim. There is a lack of a conversation and, quite honestly, I am not all that found of being lectured to by people who are not smarter than me on the subject at hand.
This will appear to be a transgression; it is not.
I am a 3rd degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. I have taught for over 10 years. I have taken class for nearly 15 years. I also have trained with the Bo/Quarterstaff since 1977 and taught it for nearly 20 years.
So, when I started taking Judo, with all my background and experience and credentials, what was my attitude toward the yellow belts? The people who were one (1) step above me? Respect and attentiveness. Judo and TKD are not the same. Judo and stickwork are not the same. Judo was something different so, even with all of my experience, I shut up, listened, and did what I was told.
I've been writing for 40 years. I've been writing seriously for over 30 years. I've been studying writing and styles and form and structure and theme and development and all the rest for over 20 years. None of this makes me better than anyone else; it only makes me knowledgeable in the field. Knowledgeable enough to not tolerate being lectured at by those who are not smarter than me on the subject at hand.
So when I see "it's my style" or "true poetry is from the heart" offered as an excuse for poorly constructed verse, I dismiss it as claptrap and garbage. When I hear the poetry voice used to recite a piece of this claptrap and garbage and pretend it is much more important than it is or ever will be, I know the person involved is both massively insecure and not nearly as talented as they believe they are.
They may be talented, hell, they may be more talented than me, but they are nowhere near as talented as they assume they are and pretend to be and thus they will stay at whatever level of incompetency they possess and folks will eventually tire of the pompous nature and move on to some equally banal and pretentious person.
Because in my mind poetry, real poetry, is independent of style and it just must speak to, not at, to the audience. It must also show some signs that more than a colon's span of thought was put into it and this is the other reason I tend to avoid free verse.
Van Gogh painted in a new fashion for the time, as did Picasso. Both of these artists, however, learned the existing methods of painting before going on to establish new rules and styles. Picasso and Van Gogh put time and effort and hard work into learning their craft and as such where able to transcend the established environment and herald in new schools of thoughts.
If a poet chooses to write in free verse but can intelligently discuss meter and style, I suspect their work will both be better constructed and more consistently readable. Too often, however, people use the free verse style to vomit onto a page and call it poetry and recite it to each other in the aforementioned poetry voice.
Let's hold two examples up side-to-side.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH6fC3W3YvA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbqF_QcOIxY
One is an accepted modern poet of note, one is Shakespeare. Is it fair to compare the two? Hell yes.
Because folks demand that modern free verse, as presented, is the equal of Shakespeare and this was the intent and presentation of the author, not a bastardization of the idea.
Who really believes that in 400 years Elizabeth Alexander will be remembered? In 400 years Shakespeare will still be remembered, performed, updated, etc because Shakespeare, who himself stole ideals and concepts, structured them and presented them well and memorably.
Because Shakespeare spoke TO his audience, not at them. Because in the day of Shakespeare he required the common folks to pay for the performances so he might do something silly like eat.
Free verse, as implemented widely, states that craft is unimportant, that practice and consideration is not required, that reflection and critique is a waste of time. Free verse, as widely implemented, is the opposite of poetry, the opposite of art. It is self-indulgent and small minded and deserves no more consideration than any other fad purported by pre-teens.
Free Verse as implemented by those who actually study poetry can be poignant and beautiful and groundbreaking. Free Verse as written and crafted by those willing to dig into how poetry is created and learn to avoid the mistakes that have been identified, the traps others have tripped, the morass which is raw and unconsidered tantrums of emotion, this free verse is worthwhile.
The problem is that this free verse takes time and effort and a mind open to change and most people claiming they are poets and claiming everything they write is complete, to the poor grammar for no good reason, to the spelling mistakes, not intentions, to the cliches that have worn us out 40 years ago, these people cannot be bothered.
Because they are writing from the colon or some other body part and they insist that's OK.
And it ain't.
Think of it this way.
Not every architect can be a Frank Lloyd Wright. This does not mean anyone can call themselves an architect. Hell, anyone can draw lines on a page and call it a building plan but only the architect, with the required education and study will understand tensile strengths and load and how to mesh design and functionality.
Anyone can go to Home Depot and buy a pile of building materials and slap them up and call it a house and all of their friends can ooh and aahh over it and tell them it is pretty and make them feel good, but it ain't a house and no one will remember it in 4 years, much less 400.
Am I saying then that if you cannot be bothered to consider the need to learn about poetry as an art and that if you are not willing to hone your skills and that if you are uninterested in giving and providing critique that all you are doing is wasting time?
Unless you are the rare natural savant, yes, that is exactly what I am saying.
Because unless you can show, not shout, show, you are smarter than me on the subject at hand, there is no reason I need listen to anything you say.
You have an idea? Great! Seriously great. You want to work with folks rather than tell them they don't understand? Wonderful! You want to dig into a line to find out why it created a dissonant nature when you were looking for a harmonious transition? Hey, folks can help.
You want to say "It's my style?"
Then go pound sand along with the rest of the folks who mistake Free Verse as an excuse to write pedantic angst disguised as the leavings of dung beetles. Because if you are not here, at a workshop, to learn and get better, then all you are doing is wasting the time of anyone who has to suffer through your crap.
With my crap, I am begging for help, that's part of what makes it a workshop. Don't like that? Tough.
And have a nice day.
Final note. If you are already better than me, I get it. Obviously I am not smart enough to understand your genius. Don't spoil the situation by showing everyone what a moron you are and giving me the opportunity, for my own amusement, of verbally slapping you upside the head with bull testicles.
Because I will buy a set just to do that; you know I will.