I have heard it said (somewhere and somewhen): “Prose is words in their best order. Poetry is the best words in their best order.”
I’m hesitant to say that what I’m finding myself writing is Poetry, or any good, but it does follow the pattern of what poetry is generally accepted to be (structurally at least). So, in the interest of not being too disgustingly self-deprecating, I will say it: I’m writing poetry. A lot of it. And I’m really enjoying it, more than I expected.
I’m sure the general theme of quantity over quality on this site is obvious at this point, so pardon if there is some content that shouldn’t have gotten by the editorial board. The subject matter is often banal and cloying. I am using fifty-dollar words with abandon. I’m even taking old photographs, swiping image settings all over the map to make them look “artsy” and including them as illustrations.
I was never a sad poetry kid. I was a sad lyrics kid in that the stuff I wrote for my band was often pretty depressing (it was the 90s), but not over-the-top “we should get this kid some help.” I think I was afraid of what people would think of me if they found stuff I wrote after I was dead. Yeah, it was weird.
Anyway. I’m not really concerned about that here; I’m hoping you’re reading this as I am very much alive, and that you also remember that the point of view of the narrator or character is not necessarily that of the author! Although it might be. You just don’t know!
I think what I’m liking about poetry is more about the ease of creation rather than freedom of content. Not saying that sticking to good grammar or spelling is in any way what keeps me from writing. Am saying that being able to write snippets of thought and mental phrases or expressions of awareness without necessarily having a point is just really pleasant. It’s about being able to write the equivalent of telling a fellow barfly “I don’t like that referee’s call” or telling your Uber driver that “this traffic is insane”. Poetry, I feel, is giving me the ability to make literary small talk, or to point out absurdities, or to speak big thoughts, or just grunt at the TV.
And I can do it without the overhead. I don’t need characters or setting; I don’t really need a thesis or any kind of resolution. I’m not beholden to creating a call to action, and I don’t need any kind of denouement, much less a climax. No outlines. No fact-checking (well, maybe a little…don’t want to come across as foolish, or get sued). No chords and no rhyming, either.
Just writing.
So because it’s easier to do, I am doing more of it. Which at least gives me momentum, and also serves to create content. The point of this is to take things I think and put them somewhere that people can see them if they want to, so “content” is the whole thing. If I’m not making stuff in my head, there’s nothing to put on the site.
Finally, once I have what I feel is a reasonable base of “stuff”, plus enough to seed a regular publishing schedule, I will probably dial back. I may even start focusing on quality. Unlikely, but possible.
I do hope you are enjoying it, though. There are a few pieces I really like. I am happy that it all exists.
