Prior to this course, I had only ever written poetry in rhyme, with a distinctive, rhythmic metre (despite not fitting any of the formulas we've learned in class. If someone had ever mentioned to me "Ooh, this looks like a succession of Trochee feet broken periodically with an emotional break and Spondee bases," or whatever, I would have given a deer in the headlights/ blank stare, naturally). I had read some free verse, but had never seen the poignancy in it that I felt could be portrayed by the pulse of metre or singing of rhymes. But then I began this course, and my whole world was thrown upside down!
I am currently trying to get away from my strict metre when writing, but I've found that my free verse more closely resemble short stories than poetry. How can I fix this? I've tried utilising some of the other rhetoric devices, alliteration, asonance, etc. etc., but nothing seems to get my work out of that story-rut.
Has anyone else met with this problem? Should I leave the poems the way they are, short story and all, or modify them into a vague rhythm?
Oi.
If you're continuously getting into story mode, try some intentional shifts in direction when you're doing your Muse work. In other words, when you're going along, and you start smelling narrative, pick up something random (a random word or phrase in a book, an object, something out the window or in front of you), throw it into the poem and then go on from there, without trying to steer the writing back to story that was developing. You might also try reading a poet like Ashbery or Cesaire or even Dickinson, and see if you can plot some of their lyrical (i.e., non-narrative) leaps. Try it and post on here about what you found (or say something in class).
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