 |
I just read some startling poetry by Kathleen Flenniken. I was even more startled when I discovered that her background is in civil engineering.
This experience got me thinking about how left brain and right brain affect poetry. I think of poetry as a right-brained activity, since it is emotional, concerned with the whole, and there is lots of room for interpretation. Of course, parts of poetry can be governed by the left brain, which is logical, sequential, and exacting. Most people use both sides of their brain to write, at least to some extent.
My fascination may be heightened because I am almost exclusively right-brained, for better or worse. I guess I can’t imagine a highly left-brained individual seeing the point of poetry. Not that I am judging one side of the brain over the other. Believe me, I would kill for more left brain material!
But I do find it interesting that I’m suddenly drawn to mostly left-brained poets.
 |
I think we need more poets (left and right-brained) because they stop the noise of the world and start the heart. Their brevity induces clarity; they celebrate the profound in mini-bites. Most poets are master Tweeters; they have no problem at all distilling ideas down to get right to the meat of things in 140 characters or less. As a writer, I tend to be verbose. (Word count right here was at 250—that’s words, not characters—and I’m just now getting to the point!) I find it fascinating that you can say more by saying less.
Reading a poem centers me on one thought or emotion. It’s a tranquil yet stirring experience. If you haven’t read any poetry since Frost, Whitman, or Pound in high school, I’d strongly suggest that you give it another shot. And there is a style of poetry that will appeal to you. There are plenty of poets who are quirky, smug, humorous and irreverent, if lofty rhymes are not your cup of tea.
 |
If you’d like an easy poetry sampler, consider subscribing to The Writer’s Almanac by Garrison Keillor. It’s free, and you get a daily dose of poetry delivered to your email inbox. (Just select the RSS Feed button after clicking the link.) It’s a great way to find a poet you like, or simply to experience all that poetry has to offer. You may like some poems and absolutely hate others, but I think you will be moved.
I’d love to hear about your own experience with poetry. Feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an email.
Marianne M. Smith
Writer At The Ranch
Making You Look Brilliant One Word At A Time
http://writerattheranch.com
wordsmith@writerattheranch.com
Writer At The Ranch
Making You Look Brilliant One Word At A Time
http://writerattheranch.com
wordsmith@writerattheranch.com
No comments:
Post a Comment