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The Return of Free Verse
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The Return of Free Verse |
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Bob K Member Elite
since 2007-11-03
Posts 4208 |
Sorry to be putting this in The Alley, but that's where our last Free Verse Discussion went. I'm not sure where else it might go. Any suggestions are welcome, as long as they're not anatomical. I have an exercise to propose for a free verse piece. And I noticed the one that Ringo put up, and I'm actually working on it myself. So thank you, Ringo; I'm not sure where it's getting me but the journey is a lot of fun, and that's about all I can ask for. My exercise is this. Go to a place where you have other people's poems. They should be poems that you really like a lot, and that have been published someplace, and that really ring your chimes. If you have any foreign languages, use something from that, though it's not necessary. Read the poem a couple of times, so you really get a sense of the movement and flow of the poem, and what you like about it. Now, start at the beginning, and line by line, change everything in that poem. I mean everything. If the poem starts, I love Paris in the Springtime you might try, for example, My third Grade teacher was tepid about Trenton all through the fall; or, Nobody goes to Hong Kong for its earthquakes. The idea is to go through the entire poem in this way and to write a sort of parallel text. When you finish a first draft, go back and make and changes you want to make for continuity, pacing, sound and overall fun. Share them, and we can talk about them back and forth. If you'd like to see an example of a finished version of one, check out Donald Justice's "Warm, Peach Colored Ode." Any thoughts and questions are welcome. |
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| © Copyright 2009 Bob K - All Rights Reserved | |||
Alison 
since 2008-01-27
Posts 9318Lumpy oatmeal makes me crazy! |
This sounds fun. I'm game. It might take me a bit of time, but I will be thinking and working on it. Alison |
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Bob K Member Elite
since 2007-11-03
Posts 4208 |
Thanks, Alison. I'm interested to see what you come up with. |
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Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354Listening to every heart |
Does the originating poem need to be referenced? |
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Bob K Member Elite
since 2007-11-03
Posts 4208 |
Only if it helps you write the poem. We can't have the original in this space because of possible copyright problems, and we don't want to use any original text at all anyway. One of the things that the exercise does is it generates a poem — always a welcome thing — and another, if you pay attention, is that it gives you some insight into the actual patterns that the poet you admire was using to make the poem you like so much. How did he go about doing this? Because you're having to deal with some of the same issues yourself in the process of construction. Don't bang your head about that part, though; just have fun and let the playfulness rule. All my best, Bob Kaven |
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moonbeam
since 2005-12-24
Posts 2356 |
Bob, did you receive my e-mail regarding this? Regards Rob |
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Bob K Member Elite
since 2007-11-03
Posts 4208 |
Dear Rob, I'm there. I've lost the email itself. Best, BobKaven |
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moonbeam
since 2005-12-24
Posts 2356 |
Dear Bob I'll try resending again tomorrow. (My tomorrow!) Hope you're doing ok. Regards Rob |
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moonbeam
since 2005-12-24
Posts 2356 |
Hello Bob I re-sent yesterday. Any chance of you confirming you got it? Sorry to use this thread to communicate but I can't think of any other way. Regards Rob |
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Alison
since 2008-01-27
Posts 9318Lumpy oatmeal makes me crazy! |
Bob K, Well, I did try this and found how "Alley-shy" I am. I talked myself out of posting it in here. However, it's here: /pip/Forum110/HTML/001593.html It's tough to work with another poem as you suggested, but it was fun too. A |
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