As Ken Koch notes, inspiration can strike twice, and certainly at the points of revision, too. That's why revision can take so long: waiting for the moment of inspiration anew, from those same recesses of that same heart, to re-invigorate a false moment in the old poem. The results can, and have, been very moving. But perhaps might it also be true that constant revision helps to train one, over years, to hit it closer on the first time. (Even if complacency is the greatest danger when one has learnt to live with one's own voice.)
Revision is spiritual: the lifelong search for the right word with the right absence. All writing is revision. So why be against it? If a thing could produce a variant that is its equal or better, if one word's reflection points to another that is truer, if, in our perverse poet's way, one wound could open another, why not follow the glances through? Or why not at least glance to see where that path could go, if only to come back to the original trail in time? On 1/13/06, temporal t <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > jane and rumjhum > > while it is true 'jo baat dill se nikalti hay asar rakhti hay' ... > (what comes from the recesses of heart is potent)...being my own > worst critic i have learned that only exceptional poems do not ever > need a rewrite > > yes, poems for me come from 'somewhere' ... but having dressed them in > words i usually shy away from immediate exposure... > > and > > when i look them again a week or two later i find a new perspective > when reading them...things i overlooked in that initial burst of > creativity that needs improvement > > > On 1/13/06, ymursawsib <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > "Technical Virtuosity". That is the term I have a bone to pick with. > > I am so afraid of becoming contrived in my creativity; like putting > > on an act, pretending. I literally used to shy away from "working" > > on a poem before. > > Like you, poetry has to 'arrive' for me too. It grows very quickly > > in my head and has to come out as quickly. I used to think that is > > the only way to write poetry until recently. I have now learned to > > respect the discipline of editing after the first rush of emotion. > > And, also to listen to reactions to the poem.(it is so easy to fall > > in love with my own words, not see the woods for the trees!) > > > > I have taken free verse and worked on it for rhythm and metre, but > > only for those poems that I believed would benefit from it. > > Sometimes we write down a poetic idea and think it is a poem, but it > > is not finished yet. Only when we return to it in the clear light of > > day can we see the truth; that is the time to review and consider > > structural changes. Once you have a strong idea it is easy to build > > around it. In my case this has happened to poems that I have > > returned to years (and in one case decades) later. I like to believe > > that the rhymthm and structured metre was already there in the idea, > > and I simply had failed to see it before. > > > > Poetry for me is a short, intense mental workout, regardless of the > > value of the poetic outcome. Sometimes I feel intensely about > > something but the poem comes out mediocre; sometimes I am able to > > write lucidly without involving my soul and the intensity dips down > > only till the level of my mind, perhaps touching my heart a bit. > > > > Whatever the worth of my own poetic efforts, I must confess that > > life would feel very odd without poetry; and then there is that > > intense pleasure of meeting a poem that nudges something deep inside > > you and you are elevated and enriched if only for a short span of > > time. > > > > Rumjhum > > > > --- In ZESTPoets@yahoogroups.com, jane bhandari <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > > > Do you know, I don't really have an answer to your question about > > structured forms giving way to free verse. > > > > > > I think as children we are naturally attuned to rhyme and > > rhythm. Certainly rhythm. I think this stays with us all our lives, > > although it may become more complex and less obvious, while perhaps > > with time we grow out of the need for rhyme. We seldom rhyme in > > daily speech, but good speech has a natural rhythm. > > > > > > Looking at my own poems I see a rhythm which is close to that of > > speech. I have never really felt the need for rhyme except, perhaps, > > like Shakespeare's closing couplets - I often find that a poem has > > ended thus. I didn't start writing poetry till I was in my middle > > fifties anyway, so maybe I had simply gotten out of the habit of > > rhyming. > > > > > > I like poems that have a structure where it assists the poem. > > And I appreciate a successful poem in a difficult verse-form > > providing the poem works well as a poem and not just as a bit of > > technical virtuosity. Some poems, like the ones I just posted, > > simply 'arrived' and needed only a little tinkering to get them to > > their present form, which was nice. But I had been thinking about > > haiku for quite a while, so maybe it wasn't quite as accidental as > > it seemed. > > > > > > It's interesting to take a free verse poem and try to structure > > it. By using synonyms of a different syllabic length it is possible > > to turn an unstructured poem into one that has a definite shape. > > Another trick is to beat out the sound of the words and see whether > > you have unconsciously created a rhythm. I am willing to bet that > > you have. > > > > > > Anybody else want to comment? > > > > > > jane > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > You are encouraged to post poetry, respond critically to the poems > > circulated and participate in discussions. To post, email your message to > > ZESTPoets@yahoogroups.com OR post online at > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTPoets/post/ > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > You are encouraged to post poetry, respond critically to the poems circulated > and participate in discussions. To post, email your message to > ZESTPoets@yahoogroups.com OR post online at > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTPoets/post/ > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > > -- You are encouraged to post poetry, respond critically to the poems circulated and participate in discussions. To post, email your message to ZESTPoets@yahoogroups.com OR post online at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTPoets/post/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTPoets/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
