  Poetry
This week: Edited by: Red Writing Hood <3  
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:: I planned on beginning my “isms” series, but decided to wait in order to touch on a topic that affects all poets and readers of poetry::
Many times I've had people ask me if their poem is good - or I have seen disappointment when someone believed that I (or another reader) implied (or came out and actually said) that their poem was bad. Let's put it in perspective.
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Is My Poem Bad or Good?
My six-year-old adores peanut butter, jelly and cheese sandwiches. However, her siblings want her to eat outside so they don’t lose their appetites. Every time she adds that cheese they want to convince her to keep it out of her sandwich.
You’ll find a lot of advice on how to perfect your poetry. You’ll also find advice on how to review, critique and edit your own work – as well as the poetry of others.
What we sometimes fail to do is realize that these levels are less a ranking of bad, good and great and more an indication of the poet’s motivation and maturity - that’s literary skills learned and used, not behavior or physical age. All poetry has its purpose, its benefits and its audience.
Cathartic Poetry
This type of verse has the lowest literary level and the highest stress release level. The audience is usually small: the poet and perhaps some family and close friends. Others outside this circle may enjoy this work because of its raw, uncut emotion but many others are turned off because it is self-indulgent (which is actually part of its purpose – “this is me and this is how I am feeling right now”).
Simple or Greeting Card Verse
This poetry has a lower literary level - simple rhyme and not much depth or imagery. While this is not mature poetry it has a large audience. There is a paying market for some of this poetry, but it is competitive - like all poetry markets.
Maturing Poetry
This type of verse has a higher literary level than the two above. Whether the poet chooses to rhyme or not, the words are chosen to add depth and imagery. It has a fairly large audience with a paying market.
Mature Verse
This poetry has the highest literary level. Every word is chosen with the purpose to create art on paper. It has a small audience with a paying market.
~*~
Is Your Poem Bad or Good?
Does this make cathartic poetry bad? No. If we’re honest, we’ll all admit that we’ve written it. I consider myself a maturing poet and I still write it. Does that make mature verse great? Not necessarily. My mother, a highly intelligent and highly educated woman, once told me after reading one of my poems, “I don’t really understand it, so it must be good.” I felt like the poem had failed to serve its purpose. While I hope to create at least one poetic masterpiece in my lifetime, I am happy to stay at this level because I will touch more readers with my words. That is what motivates me.
Decide who your audience is and write with them in mind. If they like your poem consider it a success.
In the End
When you get that helpful review that is geared toward a goal of a highly mature poem and your motivation for this poem was something else; or you get a review gushing about how great a poem was (that you think wasn’t so great) – thank them with genuine gratitude and a smile. They are probably coming from their own motivational level. Don’t take offense. Be happy that someone took the time to tell you what they honestly thought. If you are reviewing a poem that may not fit in with your motivational level, recognize that there may be a reason and address it.
With each poem you write, find your motivational level and embrace it. It’s your poem. With each poem you read, understand that what may motivate you is different than what motivates others.
Just because you don’t like peanut butter, jelly and cheese sandwiches doesn’t make it bad or need any help to make it better - but peanut butter, jelly and cheese sandwich chefs should also realize that there are other tastes in the world (or even in their own house) and not everyone will enjoy a bite – or even want to have a bite - of that sandwich.
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Theme: Poetry on many levels
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If so, send it through the feedback section at the bottom of this newsletter OR click the little envelope next to my name Red Writing Hood <3 and send it through email.
Comments on last month's newsletter:
Submitted By: Karl 
Submitted Comment:
Dear editor,
I think you should look at Willowsong. According to the rhyming pattern you described, this is NOT a Terzanelle.
Also, the writer of Three Words added a "He's" in the beginning of the last line, so the pattern was changed.
The author of But One day too I shall be gone changed the first word in the last line, as did the author of Queen of the Kitchen.
However, I thank you for introducing this genre to me. Certainly something to try and a challenge, for sure.
Karl
Karl, you are correct that some of the editor's picks were not Terzanelles in the purest form. Because of their difficulty, there are very few on this site. When I hosted a contest several years ago on this form, only one was totally correct. When picking items to feature I did allow for "poetic license" on this form. The same is true about the repeating lines. While in its purest form the line should be repeated verbatim, but like the pantoum, one can get away with small word changes. Great observations, Karl. Thanks for pointing them out!
Submitted By: Mavis Moog
Submitted Comment:
Very interesting, and fun.
I think Villanelles were originally Italian rustic songs, not French. Am I wrong?
Yes and no. I will quote an educational site of Alberto Rios, who is a professor at Arizona State University (link to his bio: http://www.public.asu.edu/~aarios/). He lists some forms of poetry online to enhance his course work (lucky us!) and this particular quote has a citation included (and can be easily referenced with this link: http://www.public.asu.edu/~aarios/formsofverse/reports2000/page8.html) “This French syllabic form has no set number of syllables per line; common choices seem to be between eight and eleven. (English versions of the villanelle sometimes appear in accentual syllabics, featuring a perennial favorite, iambic pentameter.) The villanelle carries a pattern of only two rhymes, and is marked most distinctively by its alternating refrain, which appears initially in the first and third lines of the opening tercet. In all, it comprises five tercets and a concluding quatrain. Before the villanelle was made literary by the French in the late 1500s, it existed as a villanella, ‘an old Italian folk song with an accompanying dance.’--from Handbook of Poetic Forms, ed. by Ron Padgett.” While its roots are vaguely Italian, the form itself is French. I didn’t include historical information like this because the editorial was about the terzanelle not the villanelle, but I’m glad you brought up the question so I could address it here! 
Submitted By: GabriellaR45
Submitted (by email) Comment:
A fabulous newsletter with a wealth of wonderful useful info about terzanelle! I loved reading every word of the newsletter, and appreciate the effort that must have gone into preparing it. Your info and guidance are great resources for all of us who write poetry. Thank you for your hard work and the great outcome! Warmest best, Gabriella
Thank you so much for saying so! All feedback renews my energy and determination to put out useful information for others 
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Poetry: January 24, 2007 Issue [#1508]
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