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Critical Analysis #1
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lone_poet707
Member
since 2001-11-17
Posts 70
black hole named Aylmer

0 posted 2001-11-18 09:16 PM


Rid myself of my misery.
In my mind
I know it's all imaginary,
this restrictive force
holding me down.
It can't be this infectious town
attempting to alter the course
of life I have chosen.

I just can't shake this noyion
that my life is caught behind
the 8-ball and
it's heading in slow motion,
an unstoppable force
driving deep within my soul
to destroy any possible source
of happiness, a mole
clawing deep into my mind,
dragging out my darkest secrets
for all the critics, to remind
them that I am human and imperfect.

© Copyright 2001 Joe Hawley-Shepherd - All Rights Reserved
Shou-Lao
Junior Member
since 2001-10-12
Posts 48

1 posted 2001-12-02 09:10 AM


I think you got a little caught out in that hidden bear trap that people call rhyme, it’s an easy thing to do and I’m as guilty as the next poet of putting my foot in it. Luckily knowing the trap is there and recognizing how easy it is to get caught makes it easier to avoid. Here’s how it works:

You start off wandering down the path with a preset destination (what you want to say in your poem), you get a couple of steps into it and you find yourself at a crossroads (the first rhyme). One of the paths leads to where you want to go but the signpost is confusing, there’s the route that seems to match where you want to go. This seems the perfect choice, the word rhymes and it’s meaning is plainly in keeping with the direction you want to go but it could contain bear trap number one. If you take this road your poem could end up being too predictable for the reader, if they find out too early where you’re going they’re likely to get bored if they’ve been there before. There is another route however, this is the easiest one- it simply sounds right (soul/mole). The problem with this road is that it leads straight to bear trap number two, only this one has the added twist in that you either:

Never get to where you’re trying to go
End up somewhere completely different
Get to your destination but only after days of wandering
Lose the reader somewhere on the meandering way

How do you avoid these bear traps?

It isn’t easy, you need to keep one eye on where you’re going, one eye on the road your travelling and that elusive third poetic eye on places that might be interesting to visit on your way that aren’t too far off the beaten track.

Hope this helps.

Shou-Lao

[This message has been edited by Shou-Lao (edited 12-02-2001).]

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