Poetry Pals - Week 4 - Poetry Rules

Our weekly poetry roundup - about breaking the rules of poetry.

Hello, my lovelies,

Photo by Thought Catalog on Unsplash

The prompt this week, after a lovely written piece by

Little Wonder by Lisa O'Hare

, to write a poem based one of the rules from Brian Bilston’s poem about breaking the rules of poetry, or a poem about poetic rules.

Immediately, I remembered a poem I wrote many, many years ago that I’ve always quite liked so chose to use that here. Why reinvent the wheel I thought? Also I’m still mega shattered after the concert nearly two weeks ago now, so a quick cheat seemed acceptable. So a blast from the past for you.

A Conversation with Myself

But that’s what’s so funny about poetry;
it doesn’t have to rhyme
nor do all the lines have to be of a required length.
Poetry is only poetry because the author says it is.
None of this ABAB rhyming scheme stuff
or the tum te tas of meter,
nor is the regular verse form necessary.
If I want to write a poem like that then fine
far be it from you to disapprove
but
if I want to put one word on each line
and waste a lot of paper
I can do that too,
For who can say I am wrong?
I call it poetry, I wrote it and I like it,
And if you disapprove or disagree
then I pity your lack of a sense of adventure.
I could make this conversation into a poem
if I wanted
and 
indeed
I think I will.
I’ll even go and do it now . . .

So having effectively cheated with the first part of the prompt dragging up a poem from decades ago, meant I needed to do the second prompt. A bit more difficult as I effectively break 90% of the rules 90% of the time anyway. I don’t tend to be vague though. So that’s the rule I chose. It’s not very good, in my honest opinion. It’s not a poem I would choose to go into a poetry collection of anything like that though. Just a bit of fun and silliness.

Bilston Rules - don’t be vague

I feel something
Here, or maybe there.
It’s just a thing. 
Maybe a good thing, 
Or maybe not.
I did take a look
But it wasn’t clear. 
I’m sort of not sure. 
I might not be right
Or I might be. 
I’ll find out eventually
I suppose.  
Maybe?

I thoroughly enjoy these prompts but especially the mini chats we have when sharing them with the group on the Friday. Come join us.

Till next week.