We're hosting Emily Dunn of Writers Ink Services as she works through a yearlong series of blogs on Poetry!
Even though people spend time with poetry everyday, they have a tendency to view poetry as something intimidating. I fault Language Arts teachers for this, especially middle school and high school teachers. Poetry in school becomes a matter of analyzing and picking out things rather than simply enjoying what the poet has to say.
How do we spend time with poetry everyday? Poetry is song. The music you have words for :: that's poetry. We don't look at it that way. We should.
We sing the catchy little tunes along with our favorite singers, we soar out with the power ballads from great movies, we cry at lost loves, we're motivated by the choruses we sing along with our congregations.
Handle Me with Care: Traveling Wilburys
My Heart Will Go On: Celine Dion's greatest power ballad
That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be: Carly Simon
Our God: Chris Tomlin
These songs are poetry.
Now, let me get Language Arts technical (I know, I know. Calm down!).
Poetry has three methods: Free Verse, Blank Verse, and Pure Verse.
It's Pure Verse that we encounter most often. You know, those songs that rhyme. Rhyme helps us remember.
Blank Verse is the most "intellectual" (said with rounded snobbish tones).
Free Verse is experimental.
We'll look at Free Verse in October, Blank in November, and Pure in December.
Click this link to read the first blog on Free Verse: Free Bird Verse
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