Unsuitable blog and HappenStance news

What's happening at HappenStance
Font size: +
1 minute reading time (224 words)

FIFTEEN BOLD ASSERTIONS ABOUT POETRY

1.   There is no universally accepted definition of what a poem is.   

2.   There is no agreement on what a poem is not.   

3.   Prosody is the study of versification.   

4.   'Versody' is not a word.

5.   Versification is the art of making verses.

6.   A stanza is a verse paragraph. Sometimes it is called a 'verse'. 

7.   A verse is made of verse, and most verse comprises verses.

8.   The canon is not a weapon, and does not have balls, although it sometimes feels as though it is, and does.

9.   Alfred Austin succeeded Alfred Lord Tennyson as poet laureate in 1896. He wrote a verse autobiography, The Door of Humility,
      which nobody alive has read.

10.  The ink used in 99.99% of poetry publications is black.

11.  A list poem is usually formatted vertically and left-justified i.e. it does not list.

12.  If a list poem is entered into the National Poetry Competition, it could be said to have entered the lists.

13.  Writer's block is even in Wikipedia. But this is not a problem. A computer can write poems for you. Here is my latest.

14.  More poets are alive than dead. They thrive.

15.  More poems are dead than alive.

Lino print by Gillian Rose
×
Stay Informed

When you subscribe to the blog, we will send you an e-mail when there are new updates on the site so you wouldn't miss them.

NOT SEEING THE WOOD FOR THE TREES
THE LOST LAST POEM
 

Comments 14

Guest
Guest - John Peacock on Sunday, 26 July 2020 12:02

Wrong about no.9

Wrong about no.9
Helena Nelson on Sunday, 26 July 2020 12:30

How, John. I am so impressed! Have you REALLY read it, and all the way through? Maybe I should change the bold assertion to 'that only one living person has read all the way through? Is Austin one of your relatives?

How, John. I am so impressed! Have you REALLY read it, and all the way through? Maybe I should change the bold assertion to 'that only one living person has read all the way through? Is Austin one of your relatives?
Eleanor Livingstone on Sunday, 26 July 2020 13:05

More poets are alive than dead .... Eh, interesting idea. Might the last 100 years have produced more poets than all of history previously. Or perhaps there a lot of living poets who are more than 100 years old .... ?

More poets are alive than dead .... Eh, interesting idea. Might the last 100 years have produced more poets than all of history previously. Or perhaps there a lot of living poets who are more than 100 years old .... ?
Guest
Guest - Anne on Wednesday, 29 July 2020 10:28

A pedant writes:
There is no universally accepted definition of what a poet is. Did Hopkins become a poet only when his poems were published? Or was my mother a poet, whose poems certainly never will be published? If we define a poet as someone who writes poems, and there is no universally accepted definition of what a poem is, then #14 seems hard to justify, as the dead (poets and non-poets) outnumber the living by about 15 to one. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16870579

Nevertheless, it *feels* right. There are certainly more being published now than ever before.

A pedant writes: There is no universally accepted definition of what a poet is. Did Hopkins become a poet only when his poems were published? Or was my mother a poet, whose poems certainly never will be published? If we define a poet as someone who writes poems, and there is no universally accepted definition of what a poem is, then #14 seems hard to justify, as the dead (poets and non-poets) outnumber the living by about 15 to one. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16870579 Nevertheless, it *feels* right. There are certainly more being published now than ever before. :)
Guest
Guest - James Robertson on Sunday, 26 July 2020 13:33

Is this is a poem?

Is this is a poem?
Helena Nelson on Sunday, 26 July 2020 17:23

Depends on your definition....

Depends on your definition....
Guest
Guest - Hazel Macmillan on Sunday, 26 July 2020 13:46

Pity the poor poet if this is so. I find that most poetry is not dead but just needs to be resuscitated and given understanding.

Pity the poor poet if this is so. I find that most poetry is not dead but just needs to be resuscitated and given understanding.
Guest
Guest - Giles Turnbull on Sunday, 26 July 2020 14:03

The Door of Humility is a free download from Kobo ... is it worth reading? I might be tempted to give it a go! xx

The Door of Humility is a free download from Kobo ... is it worth reading? I might be tempted to give it a go! ;) xx
Helena Nelson on Sunday, 26 July 2020 17:24

I hesitate to say Giles....

I hesitate to say Giles....
grahaeme barrasford young on Sunday, 26 July 2020 14:31

No 10: an acquaintance of mine, who ran a well-established and well-received mag and an equally well-received press, gave up completely when the SWA rep overseeing his grant told him it was all black lines and couldn't he break it up a bit with colour...

No 10: an acquaintance of mine, who ran a well-established and well-received mag and an equally well-received press, gave up completely when the SWA rep overseeing his grant told him it was all black lines and couldn't he break it up a bit with colour...
grahaeme barrasford young on Sunday, 26 July 2020 14:37

Thinking about it, it was not just well-received but probably the most important poetry mag of its era.

Thinking about it, it was not just well-received but probably the most important poetry mag of its era.
Guest
Guest - Giles Turnbull on Sunday, 26 July 2020 17:49

Nell, I did download the free copy, and how spooky is this? The first poem must have been written especially for me!

We lead the blind by voice and hand. And not by light they cannot see;
We are not framed to understand The How and Why of such as He;
But natured only to rejoice
At every sound or sign of hope.
And, guided by the still small voice. In patience through the darkness grope;
Until our finer sense expands.
And we exchange for holier sight
The earthly help of voice and hands.

I love it! xx

Nell, I did download the free copy, and how spooky is this? The first poem must have been written especially for me! We lead the blind by voice and hand. And not by light they cannot see; We are not framed to understand The How and Why of such as He; But natured only to rejoice At every sound or sign of hope. And, guided by the still small voice. In patience through the darkness grope; Until our finer sense expands. And we exchange for holier sight The earthly help of voice and hands. I love it! :) xx
Helena Nelson on Monday, 27 July 2020 09:12

And I love that you love it, Giles! Context and placement is everything. You just made that poem come alive!

And I love that you love it, Giles! Context and placement is everything. You just made that poem come alive!
Guest
Guest - Charlotte Gann on Monday, 27 July 2020 15:23

I love the lino print! as well as a number of those bold assertions..

I love the lino print! as well as a number of those bold assertions..
Already Registered? Login Here
Guest
Wednesday, 22 March 2023