Poetry for Life

Article: My Titles

I like the idea of having titles for poems, especially if the title means something. Many poems I find either don’t have titles or they have some insignificant title or just the first line (This is probably done by other people), as though many poets either don’t consider a title important or they think it’s only for the purpose of identity.

I agree with Ayn Rand that a title should state the theme of the work in a nutshell, and I think a poem should have a theme. It should make some statement about the poet’s view of the nature of something.

The title of an artwork should be brief. I was fascinated by Dick Francis’s titles for his novels. His titles were always one or a few words, and not only indicated the theme of the story, but had multiple layers of meaning, usually at least two that I could find. Many times one of the meanings would be a term related to horses or horse racing, which his stories always centered around. For instance, his novel Longshot, which of course is a term used in horse racing, is about a non-fiction writer aspiring to be a novelist, who thinks it’s a long shot getting his first novel published, but he fights for it throughout the story and accomplishes it at the end. In the meantime while doing a biography on a famous horse trainer, the writer gets involved in the investigation of the murder of one of the trainer’s family members who was shot with a bow and arrow. As he starts to close in on the murderer, the writer becomes prey to a long-range arrow shot himself.

Trying to distill the theme down to only one word, I started giving my poems one-word or one-expression titles, and decided to continue that practice as a tradition of my own.

Sometimes my one-word theme titles are literal and sometimes not. For instance, “Launch” is specifically about a rocket launch (but it could also be taken as meaning the launch of man’s drive for knowledge and achievement in general). But “Flight” is not about space, airplane, bird or insect flight. It alludes to bees but is actually about the mental “soaring” involved in extreme pleasure. And “Ocean” doesn’t have anything to do with water. It’s about the experience of being immersed in the great “sea” of language when I’m writing poetry.

My poems “Relief”, “Deliverance”, “Perseverance”, “Grit” and “Self”

I’m not only inspired to write poems about things I feel strongly about, but I’m also inspired to write poems regarding personal issues. My hope has been to write something inspirational to myself and others who might be dealing with the same issues. I have been surprised to find that writing about these issues has actually been therapeutic in helping me dispense with them. I have written some longer more specific poems, but here are some of my self-inspirational short poems and epigrams that are of a more general nature.

Relief

I feel so much better now,
I do, I do, I do!
My head is so much clearer now,
It’s true, it’s true, it’s true!
From cloudy doubt and muddle’s maze
Knowledge beams its blessed rays.
I’m gaining wisdom in little ways,
And happiness anew.

Deliverance

Don’t rue you’re not skilled at some talent,
Or regret you’re not graceful or gallant.
Don’t think your looks not appealing,
Or say you’re not worth someone’s feeling.
Don’t accept you’re not morally stellar,
Or can’t be bad habit’s dispeller.
Don’t fret when not young you can’t still be.
Act like you’re these and you will be.

Perseverance

It doesn’t matter what I write,
Large or small, bold or trite,
At morn or night, where or how,
With furrowed brow or disarray.
The one mainstay that matters now
Is that I do it everyday.

Grit

What’s tougher than staying the course,
Working day in and out,
Staying on that slow-plodding horse,
And not giving in to doubt?

Self

I cannot speak but with my voice,
“Neither a borrower nor a lender be”
I’ve tried to please, but have no choice
I may only be pleasing me.

My Poem “Sustenance”

One of the great experiences of my life has been motherhood. My theme here is that the “sustenance” goes both ways.

Sustenance

With arms around him cradling under,
For moments again sharing life’s renew,
I’d watch in him marvels in constant wonder
As a mother’s pulse compelled me to do,
And catching me watching he’d stop and stare
Deep to my soul where forth would spill
A torrent of joy at his smile so aware,
And the world was profoundly, profoundly still.

After day giving all to all summoning life,
Stretched out on the bed at evening’s full tide,
Resting from weary, but wonderful strife,
Two hearts dwelling languidly side by side.
We’d float on the swell of progress’s pride
And drink in the quiet reserve to refill
The well of the future, the joy of the ride,
And the world was profoundly, profoundly still.

Now each to our own horizons anew,
That slow-nurtured bond unsaid - understood,
We share time as two minds in silent review,
Just chatter or parsing the truth and the good.
Suddenly awed by the man grown tall
With wit, wisdom and quiet firm will.
A heavenly splendor spreads over all,
And I love him profoundly, profoundly still.

My Poem “Attitude”

Many of my poems are serious, but I also occasionally like to include humor or irony even as part of a serious subject. Here is an example which registers my protest against what I perceive to be the snobbishness of some of the intellectual establishment on certain subjects.

Attitude

The deadliest sin in writing today
Seems to be that dreaded cliché,
And I agree the live-long day,
Avoid like the plague come what may,
When writing a piece to be here to stay,

And reaching for the stars, and most
When recognized from coast to coast,
Dull as ditch-water, bland as toast,
And meaningless with nothing to boast,
That hackneyed phrase gave up the ghost.

But turns of phrase go hand in hand
With ready-made feeling, reaction planned,
A whole package of meaning canned,
A “Je ne sais quoi” all understand,
With intent to connote, not the mind expand.

So it’s not always black and white.
Once in a while with a goal in sight,
The prose or poem feather-light,
Or connotation seems just right,
What’s tried and true can show some fight!

My Poem “Reflection”

The subjects of my poems are very diverse. Many relate to aspects of human life in general and others are more specific. I thought I’d start with one of more general interest.

Every bond in love’s embrace
Returns in kind its just reward.
It fills the valuer’s life with grace
And rings the apt harmonic chord.:
If parent and child, a look that pride saith,
If friend and friend, a sweet commune,
If lover and lover, a kiss, a swoon,
Or spouse and spouse, enduring faith.

Reflection

You came with me on love’s spring day
To share your road in part with mine
That sometimes takes the brambled way,
But ofttimes leads to joy divine.

We strolled the path to a placid pond
And dipped our feet off the boardwalk ledge,
Our spirits mirrored, took a pledge
To see more cherished bright days dawned.

Your face and mine in water-sheen
Gazed back to fondly seeking eyes.
I hold the image pure and clean
In secret sight for sweet reprise.

That sacred vision’s vibrancy
Bespeaks the goodness of your soul.
It beacons goodness I extol
And beams contentment back to me.

If little ripples mar our view,
Or sweeping waves bring large distress,
I fret because I care for you.
Know still and all my life you bless.

When or if our separate ways
We have to go and journey on,
I’ll tend your spirit dawn to dawn
For my own spirit’s loving gaze.

Dedicated to Mom & Dad, whose example as parents, friends, lovers and spouses has always been a source of inspiration.

About Poetry for Life

Poetry should apply to life.

Poetry should apply to your life.

Forget Emily Dickinson and T. S. Eliot!

I heard a quote from Richard Feynman in which he incidentally mentions that poetry is not written to be understood. Why not? Are movies not made to be understood? Are books not written to be understood? Poetry should have meaning available to anyone just as a movie or a book does. And like a movie or book it should be interesting, exciting, satisfying and inspiring!

Poetry is an art just as is a movie or a (fictional) book. Art is a mirror, a mirror to the artist’s soul, and if we respond to it, a mirror to ours. Any work of art, whether a poem, novel, painting, sculpture, movie, TV show, play or piece of music that means something to us focuses our awareness on what is most or least important to each of us, what we value most and least, what we are really like deep inside and what we aspire to.

Almost every minute of our waking lives we are learning new things, drawing conclusions or making value judgments. Over a lifetime we accumulate a vast array of ideas- ideas about ourselves, about others, about the world in general and about life- so vast an array that it is impossible to hold it all in our conscious awareness at once. It is psychologically valuable and rewarding to be able to pause and get outside ourselves, experience who we really are in essence and see fleshed-out examples of our aspirations. Through art we can get this experience in immediately perceivable terms. When we observe a work of art that resonates with us, we react with, “Yes, this is me, this is important, this is how I feel!” When we observe a work of art that repels us we react with something like, “This is not me! This is antithetical to how I think and feel!” Works of art that inspire us give us a morale boost toward achieving our particular positive goals.

Let’s take Batman as a simple example. Batman was created by the original artist to present to the world his example of a good-guy or a hero. Batman fights and vanquishes bad-guys and is extremely efficacious in whatever he tries to accomplish. He does not have supernatural abilities, but he has many high-tech tools and extraordinary human skills to go along with them. In the original artist’s and other stories about Batman that followed, the artists make it plain that they hold human skill and technology in high esteem. Many young boys and some girls aspire to be powerfully strong and skillful, and it is very important to most children to be good and effective at whatever they’re trying to do. They’ve learned it’s good to be a good-guy and bad to be a criminal. For children like these who are also attracted to Batman’s appearance and manner, Batman is the embodiment of traits and skills that they think are good and that they aspire to. When they see Batman in action, they think in effect, “Wow, he is wonderful! I want to be like him!” or “I want to be him! In fact I feel like I am him!” They love watching Batman on TV or in movies over and over and practice being him when they play. And they are further inspired in their lives to be good, strong, skillful and efficacious. Adults respond to art in the same way, but as their knowledge and experience grows, they can understand and usually respond to more sophisticated fare.

Poetry should serve that same purpose of reflection and inspiration.

But poetry as it is today is a half-dead art. It is not very popular, not like movies, TV and music. Verses for children are popular, but most adults, especially Americans, don’t see the value of poetry to them. The reason for this is that the concept of what poetry is or should be has been corrupted. For the most part modern poetry has degenerated into dullness, ridiculousness and incomprehensibility. (I discuss this in detail in my two-part essay “Art and the Art of Poetry vs. Modern ‘Poetry'” that I intend to publish on this blog.) Also, even with good poetry, the language can be very succinct, convoluted or metaphorical and may require some study to unravel the meaning. I think many adults today don’t see the difference between modern junk that purports to be deep and profound but is actually an incomprehensible nothing, and a piece that has meaning but takes a little study to understand, and when they encounter the dullness and incomprehensibility of much of the modern stuff, they give up on poetry in general.

What I’d like to do with this blog is bring interest back to poetry and show people my idea of what poetry should be:

I’d like to publish at least some of my poems, my comments and my essays regarding poetry and art online. I’d also like to feature and comment on poems I admire by other poets and hopefully inspire you as I have been inspired. And why shouldn’t poetry be fun? I love puzzles of all kinds. I’m going to include some “poetry puzzles”- some for children for enjoyment of verse, learning and enhancement of reading skills (I used to be a Montessori teacher) and some for adults to enhance enjoyment and learning about poets and their poetry.

When I was a child I loved verse, and for most of my adult life I wanted to appreciate poetry, but I gave up on it as incomprehensible. I love other kinds of art, especially music, novels and movies, but about twelve years ago (late in life) I realized that, even though I had suppressed it, I really have always loved poetry. Its basic instrument is the wonderful human phenomenon of language. It allows for the imagery of painting and the expression of great drama. It has the rhythm and the direct emotional impact that I love so much about music. And its subjects can range to anything of interest- life, love, the human condition, the natural world and even science. It can deal with any subject from the deadly serious to the lighthearted or trivial. I realized that being able to write poetry was a latent desire, and what I needed to do was to shed my previous mental encumbrances regarding “serious” poetry, start fresh and make it what I wanted it to be.

As for my aspirations in art and poetry, I am what Ayn Rand terms a “romantic realist”, romantic in the sense of striving for life enhancing values (not just love), and realist in the sense of striving to portray things and life realistically and truthfully. As for the form of poetry I advocate, I appreciate some free verse, but I’m staunchly for traditional metered poetry. I also explain my reasons for this in my two-part essay “Art and the Art of Poetry vs. Modern ‘Poetry'”.

I’d be willing to discuss my poetry, poetry in general, and even art in general with commenters who have something constructive to say on those subjects.

I hope you enjoy or learn to enjoy poetry and find inspiration in it as I have!