| Back
to Index
What Is A Poem?
By Sebastien
Cole
What
is a poem?
Everyone
knows what a poem is, don't they? Everyone knows what it looks
like, what it sounds like. But what makes a poem a poem? Is this
a poem?
Today I drove
my car I drove it to a bar I ate some nuts and I bought a drink
I drank until my nose turned pink
Technically,
it is. It is a composition in rhythmic lines (although not a particularly
imaginative one). It isn't impressive, but it is a poem. I could
have written about my day in another way. Like this, for example;
Today I drove
to a bar called Brunswick Bar, where I had several alcoholic beverages.
I became increasingly intoxicated, which resulted in a slight
flushing effect to my face.
This, however,
is not poetry. So what exactly is the difference between poetry
and prose? Traditionally, poetry has always been considered to
be the more elevated of the two. Prose, however, is the more popular
form of literature. They are both equally valid forms of expression.
The first difference you will notice is that poetry looks and
sounds different than prose. Poetry has a rhythm and a musical
beat. It often rhymes. But poetry is not simply prose with a rhythm
and a rhyme scheme.
The
real difference is that poetry is a much more condensed form of
writing. Language in a poem is used to its fuller potential; its
words are packed with meanings, connotations and associations.
A poem doesn't have to be grammatically correct or give any sort
of information or tell us a story or even make sense initially.
They are designed to make us stop and consider each word more
carefully than prose. A poem is not only supposed to tell us something,
but also make us feel something. A poem doesn't only act on the
mind, but on the senses. Good poetry is both intellectual and
physical, and reading a poem is intended to be an experience.
Because we think
in the abstract terms of poetry, not in fully formed grammatically
correct sentences but in isolated words and phrases, poetry has
long been seen as the language closest to human experience. Many
poets like to think of poetry as the only language of truth, the
only way of presenting the human experience. They believe that,
although prose is effective, it is more constructed and constricted
by grammar systems and therefore less truthful.
You may notice
in reviews or on the back covers of critically lauded books that
they are described as being 'poetic' or that they use language
which is closer to poetry than it is to prose. It is often said
that prose aspires to the condition of poetry, because it is in
poetry that the reader really feels what the writer feels. A poem
is a moment where we are transported from our normal selves into
another viewpoint and emotional state.
Prose can do this to, but poetry
is quicker and more intense. Whereas prose is a gradual slipping
into another viewpoint, poetry is a sudden shift. Prose acts more
on the mind and imagination, whereas poetry acts directly on the
senses. Poetry takes us outside our usual viewpoint and allows
us to see ourselves and the world in greater depth and clarity.
As is it the language of truth, it allows us to see honestly.
It lifts the 'veil of perception,' and shows us the significance
in the seemingly unimportant. With poetry, we can see things as
we never saw them before.
http://www.poetrymasterclass.com
|