I've found that many poets think that their poem is of a lesser quality if it is lacking an extravagant amount of flowery words and - even worse - I've come across many poets that bluntly act like their poetry is superior because it is such. This is sad.
Many people are under the misapprehension that "poets" must use big words to be clever, pack in as many metaphors as possible, and have some sort of snobbish intelligent nature. Where are you getting this stuff from?
Countless times I have read poems where the message is barely there because it has been completely hidden by so-called "lyrical lines" and "amazing description." If you ARE able to avoid the thorns and find the rose you will often notice that there are little are no comments on the piece that even mention the message of the poem. Strangely enough many of these pieces have LOADS of applauds.
I believe that this is because the readers are fooled by the use of the language. They think that because it SOUNDS intelligent, it is - that it's worthy of applause. They couldn't understand it, so it must be saying a lot. Wrong!
If you have ever done that (applauded a poem which you did not understand), please don't. Most of the time they DON'T make sense or they AREN'T saying anything intelligent. Don't encourage the untalented. Perhaps they need to find a new craft or improve.
Mostly, if you look at the profiles of the confused commenters that have left good reviews, you'll find they are usually young poets who are just starting out. They haven't had enough exposure to the words to see the flaws and/or they think, "All these other people liked it, so it must be good."
Comment on what you understand. Use your own brain - not someone else's - and don't be fooled by flowery words.
I am not saying that metaphors and description are bad. I am merely saying that you don't have to describe some ones teary eyes as "glistening glass orbs that seep crystal dewdrops." And THAT'S actually a little better than some of what I've read here.
Do not lack in metaphors and description all together. Such poems seem empty and used properly these things can be fantastic! Just remember not to overdo it. There is no need.
The greatest poet doesn't need the biggest garden. The bigger the garden, the more bees.Please point out any spelling errors. Thanks.
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This column is very thought-provoking. I agree in some areas and I also disagree in some areas in this.
Yes, too many metaphors/description can distract the readers and take away from the real message or meaning of the poem.
On the other hand, a good amount of metaphors/description can make a poem more exciting and creative. I’ve read a lot of metaphorical and abstract poetry that has been very written well. I believe that a poem should not be judged upon simply being able to understand it. Just because you don’t understand the poem, does it mean it’s poorly written? I do not believe so. Understanding is a way to judge poetry but to judge every poem on the factor of understanding or being able to relate to it, is simply absurd. One’s brain cannot understand every single poem that they have read. Also, if a poem doesn’t make sense to a reader, all is not lost… it may make sense to another reader or set of readers and the writer. What really matters is that it makes sense to the writer of the poem. Readers comments are only based on their opinion of the poem. If a writer writes a poem that you can’t comprehend to, it doesn’t make them unskilled. All that basically means is you did not understand their poem by the way it was written, for whatever reason(s).
Honestly, I like the “glistening glass orbs that seep crystal dewdrops” description of teary eyes rather than some of the less creative, more mundane and terribly clichéd descriptions of tears.
In my opinion, having too many metaphors, over describing, or having a poem that is confusing (to some) is way better than having an unoriginal, boring, and a poem with overused emotions and imagery. A clichéd poem is unwelcome, to my eyes... at least. The poems that are filled with metaphors and description and are not that easy to interpret are mystical, imaginative, and mysterious.
I agree… there is no need to overdo metaphors or description. But sometimes, as writers, we get carried away in the moment and it is quite possible to over describe in our work.
A poetic garden with just dirt and grass is boring and too routine. The flowers spice it up. One can plant all their flowers and seeds on the soil and still have a beautiful poetic garden. I don’t know about you, but I like luscious gardens with an assortment of plants, and for me, that goes for poetry as well. Also, there are tons of bees in this beehive. Some bees like poetry with tons of booming flowers, other bees like poetry that is straightforward and easy to understand and then there are the bees that just like poetry, no matter how it is written.
Everyone has their own different styles to their poetry. And I think they are entitled to do such. If they want their poetry overflowing in metaphors, even to the point where a lot of readers will not understand it at first glance, then just let them. Also, every poem is really not meant to be understood, especially at first glance. But just because a reader does not grasp it, doesn’t mean that the poem is horrible. I have learned a lot from poems that I didn’t understand at first glance. I took the time to revaluate it and finally understood its purpose. Most of our minds are only comfortable with what we understand... and then, sort of reject the things we don’t understand. It's a natural process that many of our brains go through.
Your column was well written. You’ve made some good points. I did enjoy reading it.
- Andi
Edited on May 06, 8:27 p.m. because ''. -
That is true. lol. We don't want the readers to get stung though. Maybe I find honey a little too sweet.
I think you got me! lol.
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Yes, perhaps your right. I guess more examples would help, but I didn't want to take any real ones as I'd feel like I was directly bashing a particular person.
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Ps. more bees, more honey,lol
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Hi , a good write in general but one person might not see the meaning where others do, hard to generalize on this, perhaps you could quote some of the poems you feel are over the top, be free to use one of mine, but I will defend it if I believe you are wrong,poetry is going through a metamorphosis at the moment, sometimes out comes a wonderful butterfly other times the grub was better,lol, we are all learning my friend,all growing,by the way some of the great masters were flowery,I think it is a matter of taste, as was once said, one man's meat another man's poison,at least you had the courage to say what you thought, all the best, Di
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I have to agree. There is to much description and I must say I've probably fallen to that before in the poems that I write but there is no point when there is no message to be had. People need to find the right balance of description, metaphor, and message. If you can do that you'll have extravegent poems every time.
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