  Poetry
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Poetry should please by a fine excess and not by singularity. It should strike the reader as a wording of his own highest thoughts, and appear almost as a remembrance.
John Keats (1795 - 1821)
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Poetically Speaking
Hear Ye, Hear Ye
Have you ever read a sad poem and felt bad for the poet? Have you ever written a poem and had readers talk to you as if the poem was about you, and it wasn’t?
I’ve felt and done all of the above. As a reader it is difficult to distinguish poet from poem. They seem tied up together to us. Yet, as a poet, I want to try new ways to express myself.
Today we will explore exactly who is the speaker of a poem and then examine two poetry forms that can help you continue that exploration.
~*~
When reading a poem, unless stated otherwise, we might first jump to the conclusion that the poem is about the poet; that the poet is the speaker or narrator. That isn’t always the case. Sometimes the poet will take on the persona of someone else in order to effectively create a moving piece of poetry. As in the dramatic monologue below, the speaker within the poem is not the poet.
On the other hand, sometimes the poet uses personal experiences, to create emotion packed poetry. Confessional poetry, explained below, can be the poet talking—or not, it can go either way.
So, how can the reader tell? Unless it is stated in the description or footnotes, you can’t. You could email/snail mail the author. You could research the author. If further information in unattainable, the reader must assume that the speaker in the poem is not the poet.
Use the forms below to explore both sides.
Dramatic Monologue
The dramatic monologue is the poetic counterpart of the theatrical monologue. A character speaks, giving hints along the way about themselves and their personal story. Leiper in Win! Poetry Contests defines it as a "[poetic] speech by a single person, explaining or revealing an important turning point” (Leiper, 294).
BRIEF HISTORY
The dramatic monologue probably got its start with the dramas in ancient Greece. It became noted as a poetry form in the Victorian Era.
MUST HAVES
--Speaker must not be poet.
--Conversation or speech in poetic form.
--Explore a character through this conversation or speech.
COULD HAVES or What's The Poet's Choice In All This?
--Any form (or no particular form) just follow the form's rules if you use one.
--Any rhyme (or no rhyme), unless a form is used, then you follow the rhyme scheme for that form.
--Any meter (or no set meter) unless a form is used, then you follow the meter required for that form.
--Length can be long or short. However, if you use a form, that form might dictate the length.
OF NOTE
My favorite dramatic monologue is “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning. We covered it in my English Comp. II class, but I was intrigued with the form after reading it.
Confessional Poetry
Turco, in his Book of Forms defines confessional poetry as, “generally written in the mode of phrased prose, in which the poet speaks about very personal subjects" (Turco, 73).
BRIEF HISTORY
Although you could argue confessional traits in many poems throughout history, this is a newer poetry form begun in the postmodern era. The difference between possible confessional poetry through history and current confessional poetry is the subject matter. It is usually not pretty--but it is honest, and is usually about delicate subject matter.
MUST HAVES
--Must be about highly personal subject matter and experiences.
--Must convey life as it is experienced.
COULD HAVES or What's The Poet's Choice In All This?
--What POV, but they are usually in the first person.
--Whether the speaker is the poet or a “character.” Usually the speaker in the poem is the poet.
--Any form (or no particular form) just follow the form's rules if you use one.
--Any rhyme (or no rhyme), unless a form is used, then you follow the rhyme scheme for that form.
--Any meter (or no set meter) unless a form is used, then you follow the meter required for that form.
--Length can be long or short. However, if you use a form, that form might dictate the length.
OF NOTE
Sylvia Plath is my favorite confessional poet, but others are Anne Sexton, Robert Lowell, and W.D. Snodgrass.
Source Notes:
Leiper, Esther M. (2006). Win! Poetry Contests. Perham, MN: WRITERS' Journal Books.
Turco, Lewis. The Book of Forms. 3rd. Hanover, NH: University Press of New England, 2000.
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Theme: Monologues and confessions
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RESPONSES to last month's poetry exercise:
No responses, but my own thoughts on the exercise. I felt as if it really improved my poem. I originally had images piled up one on top the other, but after doing this exercise I was able to extend the images and bring an added depth to my poem. I'm very happy with the results--which I will be submitting to contests or publications, I haven't decided which way I want to go with this piece, yet.
~*~
I've decided to use The Practice of Poetry: Writing Exercises From Poets Who Teach: (Available at Amazon.Com) in order to hone my skills.
Every month I will share a synopsis of one of the exercises I want to try. If you also try the exercise, please feel free to share it with me and the Poetry newsletter subscribers. If you send me a link to your item, I shall place that link in this section next month.
The exercise I will try this month comes from Part 2, page 40. This exercise is called "Five Easy Pieces," and is by Richard Jackson.
The core of the exercise is to create a life for someone without knowing them. As writers we probably do this daily, but this will be a focused exercise. Here are the excerpted instructions:
"1. Describe the person's hands.
2. Describe something he or she is doing with the hands.
3. Use a metaphor to say something about some exotic place.
4. Mention what you would want to ask this person in the context of 2 and 3, above.
5. The person looks up or toward you, notices you there, gives an answer that suggests he or she only gets part of what you asked."
I chose this because I was intrigued with trying a guided fictional life creation, and I thought the results could go beyond an exercise and become a poem I could submit for contests or publications.
~*~
Have a question, answer, problem, solution, tip, trick, cheer, jeer, or extra million lying around?
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: Koyel~writing again 
Submitted Item: "Sad Story" [ASR]
Submitted Comment:
I really enjoyed this newsletter. I love writing poetry and experimenting with the various forms of poetry.I found this newsletter very useful as I learnt about the Insult poem and the Tenzone. Look forward to learning more from you all.
Submitted By: Keith (Dutch) Kuttner 
Submitted Comment:
Thank you for including the wonderful source notes. I can’t wait to get on line and order these books--very helpful. Again, thank you for the very informative News Letter…
Thank you both for your comments  I love hearing from newsletter readers!
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Poetry: May 27, 2009 Issue [#3076]
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