Tie One On

I rarely open the post editor of this blog with any firm idea of what I'm going to write about.

There have been exceptions, especially at first and recently. But Spontaneous Me just can't stay away long. Today is (another) one of those days.

In this blog, I've tried to give you some options for setting your own guidelines for writing poetry from the traditional point of view. I think they may work equally well for free verse, too. But not for me. When I'm free, I gotta be ME!

Not that writing traditional verse (I'm not fond of the term "formal verse" -- it implies starched collars, scented drawing rooms and a well-developed taste for antiques. Absolutely nothing wrong with any of that -- it's just not my approach, that's all.) is necessarily The Poet In Chains. It, to me, means the reverse: you're in control, not the poem.

So, where does inspiration enter the picture? If your muse is insisting "Write this!" -- how do you deal with it if she happens to be wearing formal attire at the time? Dispassionately.

Duh ... aren't you supposed to be "passionate" about something to do it well? Isn't that what "they" all say? "They" might, not me.

I'm here to be straight with you, my friends. And I'm telling you that you need to develop a dispassionate sensibility for your poetic passions -- especially when your muse sets you alight.

(Hint: look up "dispassionate." Open a new tab {or window, if -- like me today -- you're using IE6} and go to Wiktionary and look it up! Right now! See what I mean? Being "dispassionate" doesn't mean you don't care, it means caring enough to do your very best -- my apologies to Hallmark (tm).)

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OK, so I've now decided it's OK to say "formal verse" if by it you mean your muse had a really nice evening gown* on when she struck the match.

*or tux, or ... . (You get the idea, I'm sure. ;) )