What is poetry?
by SingChi (Member) - published: March 29, 2006
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What is poetry?
One defintition is 'Writing(or words, or something) from the heart.'

Another of my own from years ago(before i was edumacated) was 'Dumb stuff I don't understand and never will, for smart people.'

I think another was 'A jumble of confusing words from a strange person.'

It can also be just a bunch of rhymes. But I think I'll go with the first one. I think it fits better.

In that sense, my 'poetry' assignments from English class aren't poetry. The teacher just calls it that.

------
Mad monkey fling poo!

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Comments

The following comments are for "What is poetry?"
by SingChi

um .. er
To me, poetry is being given a cloudy paint brush to soften the edges of prose. Writing outside of the lines instead of dot to dot decrees. I can write a poem, not be absolutely sure I know what I mean and find someone out there who'll know more about what I've written than I do myself or read something which can be interpreted several different ways and almost always is.

( Posted by: Penelope [Member] On: March 29, 2006 )

definition
I heard this on CBC (radio) the other night.

Poetry is Life and Life is Poetry.

( Posted by: Penelope [Member] On: March 29, 2006 )

what is it?
A.E. Housman, in "The Name and Nature of Poetry", writes this:
"poetry indeed seems to me more physical than intellectual...."I could no more define poetry than a terrier can define a rat, but ...we both recognize the object by the symptoms which it provokes in us".
He goes on to speak of hairs standing on the flesh, of sensations in the pit of the stomach, etc.

I, too, agree that poetry is from the heart, rather than the brain. The crafting of the poetry is, I think, from the brain, but that is secondary process.

You have such wise poetics, for someone aged 15 years. I never had poetics until I was 17, and they went like this: "I sat down to write something and something else came out."

Thank you for your thoughts on this.

( Posted by: windchime [Member] On: March 29, 2006 )

reply
damn windchime, thanks. but the credit for the first one goest crackpotpoet. I heard it from him first and I decided to put that way of looking at it on the net. I've been told i was wise before. But I prefer wise ass.

To your comment Peneolpe, when I write, I am usually on an emotional high (or am forced to by my evil english teacher[which makes my stuff turn out good]) or really depressed and writing gets rid of those feelings in a way. Like if I put them to paper, that's less that I have to worry about. But I usually have an idea of what I want to write about before I pick up the pen.

And by the way, the poems I've produced from english class assignments. I'm very proud of them. :)

( Posted by: SingChi [Member] On: March 30, 2006 )

Poetry is...
Language that takes more than one direction at a time.

The deep end of the brain pool.

( Posted by: andyhavens [Member] On: April 2, 2006 )

what is poetry/2
Me again:
not sure I want to vectorize language as andy does...

Poetry comes before language does, and so, I think it's what infuses, and ultimately suffuses, language with both elan and envol (excuse my French, I'm having difficulty coming up with the exact words to translate this).

Lucie

( Posted by: windchime [Member] On: April 4, 2006 )

I may be clueless but...
Poetry to me is the stuff that makes the mind wander to places mere words don't go. Something you hear but sounds more like a breath, a whisper or shout then just the normal conversation. Something deep, light or just plain real. Well that is my explanation anyway.

Nae ;0)

( Posted by: nae411 [Moderator] On: April 4, 2006 )

......
wow, I didn't think this would be such a popular topic!

( Posted by: SingChi [Member] On: April 4, 2006 )

What is poetry ?
good subject...It hits all people differently...mine usually comes when someone gets my dander up...keep going...Kacee

( Posted by: Nitz Kitty [Member] On: April 5, 2006 )

poetry is .....
for me, that mind blowing, stunning, heart breaking or just plain funny connection, between observing and feeling. Then it becomes the act of getting it down on paper before it becomes one with the ether. After that, and for me the most important part, is crafting the piece into a work that will in some way transfer the original event into language that will recreate for the reader, my experience. Then as Pen suggested, someone out there can read it and experience something completely different or unexpected. Not that that bothers me. I just love to be read. I admit it. this is indeed a good subject singchi,
huni

( Posted by: Huni [Member] On: April 5, 2006 )

Singchi....Poetry
.
.
.
.

The ethereal silver thread of life
when bleeding from a hand,
leaves words and lines upon a page,
true hearts can understand.
Within this pool of consciousness
and living energy,
is born the link
from Soul to Soul,
that's known as Poetry.

Singchi,

This poem, now posted, was originally intended as a response to you question so I 've brought it back to where it was born....

Have Fun,

Ivor

( Posted by: ivordavies [Member] On: April 8, 2006 )

what is it? what is it?
singchi, those who know me know that I don't return three times anywhere to any thread of comments, but this keeps calling me back. I find it a topic of great importance because poetry occupies such an important place in my life.

I found this:

"Poetry was the mental rattle that awakened the attention of intellect in the infancy of civil society." -Peacock

I like it. You?

Lucie

( Posted by: windchime [Member] On: April 10, 2006 )

Fantastic, Lucie!
Well, I like it, anyway. Guess I'm still in my personal infancy (and not always civil, nevermind civil-society!) But poetry still has my attention - as rattle and teddybear by turns...

( Posted by: MobiusSoul [Member] On: April 10, 2006 )

ah....????
forgive me, but I don't know what it means windchime.

( Posted by: SingChi [Member] On: April 11, 2006 )

Mental Rattle
mentle rattle.....

My mind was full
of loose knit thoughts
all rattling about.
They jingled so
I knew that I
must somehow
shake them out.

They wouldn't depart
from out my lips,
but bled out
through my hand.
And formed themselves
in little lines
that all could
Understand.

From random, rattling,
nagging thoughts
was brought to life, you see,
the artform born from
mental wake
we now call Poetry!

( Posted by: ivordavies [Member] On: April 11, 2006 )

explanation
Ivor's got a pretty good take on this, I think, and addresses most of the components.

My turn:

I think it's a complicated quote. (I cope with complicated from the end backwards.) I think the quote has three parts, and I think everything in here happened at the same time:
1- the organization of society into civilization
2- intellect being awakened and attentive
3- poetry being the mental rattle

And now, there's no going back to before poetry. Also, poetry is a higher form of thinking.

As the "mental rattle", poetry acquired its own language.

Ivor conceptualizes how this language gets conveyed.

Okay?

Lucie

( Posted by: windchime [Member] On: April 11, 2006 )

2 cents worth
Using words to say something you can't say in words.

( Posted by: gomarsoap [Member] On: April 15, 2006 )

Poetry?
Hi

To me its like the DIY manual that comes with self assembly kits.... half read / half understood and what you end up with.... after a bit of fiddling round looks nearly like the picture....

Then you just have to decide what to use it for

Eric

( Posted by: Fairplay [Member] On: April 15, 2006 )

poetry
poetry is just the mirror that will tell the truth about you

what poetry means to me:
http://www.lit.org/view/23708

( Posted by: fairgrace [Member] On: April 15, 2006 )

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