 Poetry: January 30, 2008 Issue [#2182] |
  Poetry
This week: Edited by: larryp
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If you would have your son to walk honourably through the world, you must not attempt to clear the stones from his path, but teach him to walk firmly over them - not insist upon leading him by the hand, but let him learn to go alone.
~~Emily Bronte, poet
Poets yearn, of course, to be published, read, and understood, but they do little, if anything, to set themselves above the common herd and the daily grind.
~~Wislawa Szymborska, poet
Yes, you can feel very alone as a poet and you sometimes think, is it worth it? Is it worth carrying on? But because there were other poets, you became part of a scene. Even though they were very different writers, it made it easier because you were together.
~~Roger McGough, poet
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In my last newsletter on January 2, I introduced the Minute Poetry form, as a new year's challenge to attempt new forms of poetry. In keeping with this challenge, I am presenting another poetry form in this newsletter. I realize that there are many who don't like to write rhyming poetry and struggle with rhymes. Perhaps another form, not requiring rhyme, may entice you to attempt writing metered poetry.
Metered poetry without rhymes is called blank verse.
Blank Verse is any verse comprised of unrhymed lines all in the same meter, usually iambic pentameter. It was developed in Italy and became widely used during the Renaissance because it resembled classical, unrhymed poetry. Marlowe's "mighty line," which demonstrated blank verse's range and flexibility, made blank verse the standard for many English writers, including both Shakespeare and Milton, and it remained a very practiced form up until the twentieth century when Modernism rebelled and openly experimented with the tradition. Regardless, blank verse was embraced by Yeats, Pound, Frost, and Stevens who skillfully brought the tradition through this century. While it may not be as common as open form, it retains an important role in the world of poetry.
http://www.uni.edu/~gotera/CraftOfPoetry/blankverse.html
The blank verse form for this newsletter is called the Grossblank.
The Grossblank form was created in 2001 by Larry Gross. It's blank verse, but with 12 syllables per line instead of ten (iambic hexameter). The Grossblank has twelve lines; it is then a 12-lined poem written in iambic hexameter, which is how Larry Gross derived the form's name. (12X12= 1 gross) and the form is blank verse, created by Larry Gross, hence, the Grossblank poem. When he created the form, Larry Gross states he envisioned it as a “poor man's sonnet” with the first 9 lines setting a scene, problem or proposition, and the final 3 commenting, contrasting or concluding. But that is my way. You are free to do whatever you want.
http://thewordshop.tripod.com/grossblank.htm
Larry Gross is a retired teacher, editor and writing consultant with a PhD in Comparative Literature from Florida State University. He was the founder and first president of the Big Bend Poets chapter of FSPA (in its first incarnation). Formerly, he published three poetry periodicals, and his text How to Write and Publish Poetry has been well received by both poets and teachers. Online he maintains five poetry forums (including FSPA) and an extensive home site, Poetry in theWORDshop. His poetry has won numerous awards, including the #1 Florida State Poets Award in both 2000 and 2001. Larry lives in Tallahassee FL.
http://thewordshop.tripod.com/meetourpoets/lgross.html
The following is the first Grossblank poem written by Larry Gross.
The Quiet Eye
I come from folks who tend the land, who search the sky
at sunset, search again each morning, learn to do
just what the elements determine. Wheat is ripe
when solar rays paint fields with gold; then harvest comes
unless impending rainfall interrupts. A stalk
of corn may bear three ears if summer's heaven wills,
or one or none in barren autumn. Those who work
the earth accept such necessary bargains with
their world and reap the fruits of bold humility.
The process brings two worlds together, out and in,
as newborn birds may bravely leave the branch
and dive, though not aware quite yet if they can fly.
©Larry Gross
There are no stanza requirements for the Grossblank. It can be one stanza of twelve lines or broken down into stanzas at the poet's discretion, as long as there are twelve lines in the poem, written in iambic hexameter (12 syllables).
Remembering from the last newsletter that iambic meter is an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable, with x = unstressed syllable and / = stressed syllable, a line of iambic hexameter would look like this:
x/x/x/x/x/x/
unstressed, stressed, etc.
For the Grossblank, write twelve lines of iambic hexameter, and the poem is free of rhyming requirements.
Here is a Grossblank poem I wrote a few months back:
Safely Under Brush
On painted wings, a pheasant skimmed above a field
Of maize which lay beneath the white of winter’s snow.
A gray and weathered barn with chipping paint, a stark
Reminder, stood alone and barren, battered by
Unfettered winds that burst across the Kansas plain.
The skittish rooster fluttered past the haggard snarl
Of sagging rafters, broken glass, and shattered boards
And swooped to hide amid a row of hedge beside
The frozen creek; he scampered safely under brush.
Incessant gusting, frigid, whistled overhead
As drifting flurries camouflaged his hideaway.
The hunting dogs, in disarray, had lost his scent.
©Larry Powers
kansaspoet
Now I think poetry will save nothing from oblivion, but I keep writing about the ordinary because for me it's the home of the extraordinary, the only home.
~~Philip Levine
Now, you give it a try – the Grossblank.
Many of you know that I have put my Kansaspoet Contest on hold. Now, I have created a new 'activity,' specifically for the Poetry Newsletter. It is not a contest, but a place for posting poems created to the challenges I offer in the Newsletter. If you create a Grossblank poem, you may post it in the new activity – "Invalid Item" . 500 gps will be given to each one who posts a newly created Grossblank. I will continue to offer these form challenges throughout 2008. Anyone who posts poems four months in a row will receive a Poetry Merit Badge.
| |  | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#1377097 by Not Available. |
Note: Last month, several people responded and wrote Minute Poetry form poems. If you like, you may post your Minute poem in the above forum. I will not be able to give the 500 gps for them, but they will be counted as part of the four consecutive entries for the Poetry Merit Badge.
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Grossblank poems from around Writing.com.
For some of the poets below, this was a first attempt at using
iambic meter. Their meter may be off in a few places,
but I applaud them for their efforts to attempt something
that was new and strange for them.
| | | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#1202100 by Not Available. |
| | | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#1201190 by Not Available. |
| | | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#1192815 by Not Available. |
Other poems from around Writing.com:
| | | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#1372806 by Not Available. |
| | | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#1374556 by Not Available. |
| | | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#1376903 by Not Available. |
Thoughts on poetry from a newcomer:
| | | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#1377140 by Not Available. |
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
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Your feedback is always appreciated.
Caveman 
When I read your description of the Minute Poetry form, my intention to write a poem about a chess game blossomed in my mind. Except for a few word repititions for continuity, I am pleased with the result.
Endgame
To save the king, the ebon queen
Did move between
A knight and pawn.
The race was on.
The danger to the errant queen
was not foreseen.
She took the knight
To show her might.
The pawn escaped to come between
The king and queen,
And make its fame.
It won the game.
Thanks for the useful idea, cavey1732
Thanks for sharing your Minute poem with us Caveman. I am glad my newsletter inspired you to write a poem.
Larry
sgins_7
hey, tnx..that's a help.tnx!
sgc, always glad to hear that my efforts are helpful.
Larry
David E. Navarro
Thanks for featuring one of my poems. Appreciate it much.
You're welcome, Dave. Thanks for reading the newsletter.
Larry
Kitty 
Dear Larry,
Thanks so much for simplifying the 'how'. I still have trouble sometimes identifying which syllable has the stress on it, but I'm still working on it!
Sincerely,
Kat
Thanks for your comments Kat, I always attempt to simply things as much as possible. Understanding iambic meter takes much practice. Keep after it!
Larry
alfred booth, wanbli ska
Excellent, once again, Larry. I don't know how it will be possible for anyone to top the Minute poem you used here as an example. It is stunning!
Thanks Alfred, your comments are humbling.
Larry
Dorianne 
Thank you for your suggestion regarding the Minute Poetry. I appreciate the other sites you give to help us in our writing. This is like adding a new spice to an old recipe that needed some more flavoring.
Thank you Dorianne. What a great response - much appreciated.
Larry
A thinker never sleeps
Thank you for your great newsletter. You explained something that could potentially be very confusing in a way that I could understand. I remember my classics teacher talking about Iambic and Didactic but had no clue what it was.
Thank you for your comments. I do hope I made it simple enough to challenge you to give it a try, or as my friends from Australia say, 'give it a go."
Larry
mARi☠StressedAtWork
Wow!!! :)
The 'Minute Poetry' seems really interesting but it does look hard to do as well,.,. :D
hopefully once i read the websites regarding the iambic meter,.,. i would be able to gurther understand it so i could also make that type of poem!!! ;)
thank you for sharing to all of us such a wonderful idea!!! ;D
take care always,.,. :)
-Mari-
Thanks for your excitement Mari. I hope you give it a try. Though it is scary and a bit intimidating at first, it (iambic meter) will become a wonderful tool for your poetry as you learn more about it.
Larry
Acme
Iambic meter is not a perfect science. There will be variance in the way words sound and sometimes iambic meter will not be clear cut. Iambic meter is part of the art of poetry, and there are no scientific rules guiding it.
- Thank you for pointing this out; some reviewers hold much stricter views. With so many of the writers on WDC coming from different corners of the globe, the stresses used by the same words by authors with different accents will change - it's only natural in a multi-cultural society such as WDC. The voice of the poem is the best advocate for whether the meter engages correctly - I hate having to use contractions in poems just to please the form, rather than serve the subject matter; I too, once used the word 'begged' in a sonnet and got a right telling off for the length of the stress placed on it . A well expressed and very insightful newsletter, thank you
Acme - thank you for this great response. I tried to simplify it and make take away some of the intimidation that using iambic meter brings. I believe understanding iambic meter is a great advantage for poets. Some articles about iambic meter are so rigid that they scare us away. It took me a long while to acquire the courage to attempt to understand iambic or any accentuated meter.
Larry
The Poetry Newsletter editors thank you for reading the newsletter:
Stormy Lady 
Red Writing Hood <3
larryp
Next week's editor:
Red Writing Hood <3
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