Poetic Devices – Me & Poetry

Poetic Devices _ Me & Poetry

Poetry is a personal thing, the way fashion or beliefs are. There is poetry for everyone, but our experiences decide which poets we’ll love, which we can live without and how much we want to take in. Some poets leave little secrets behind, hoping the reader has a desire to decipher them. Others lay it all out in black and white. Each creates an adventure if we’re daring enough to turn the page.

When I was a teen, I loved everything about poetry. I loved reading it out loud and making the verses a sing-song melody. I loved picking the language apart to find its deeper meaning. I loved writing it. The words framing complicated thoughts that aren’t formed with just everyday language. But what I loved most was poetry’s ability to make the mundane, extraordinary. It takes a basic sentence, adds meaning and nuance. Making the words come alive and aides you in truly feeling the author’s fervor. With just a change in vocabulary, it can take on a whole new meaning.

I guess this is true for any piece of literature. But I have yet to find a how-to book that spoke to my soul instead of my intellect.

By the time high-school had ended, I had devoured the entire works of Edgar Allan Poe, Shakespeare, Robert Frost, Yeats, Dickenson and the list goes on and on. It’s quite amazing I made time for a life outside of all that reading. I flourished in English class, answering the questions of what a particular phrase meant, or reciting a line from memory. And then graduation came and I just …stopped. Completely. I didn’t pick up a book of poetry until I was pregnant with my first child.

While pregnant I resorted to my old favorites, Poe, Shakespeare, Frost, but found that most of their pieces were a little dark for the innocence of a newborn. There’s enough time in a child’s life to fill it with lost loves, cremations, and murder. I switched to friendlier poets, the likes of Dr. Suess, A.A. Milne, and Shel Silverstein. I’d like to think that all that poetry has influenced them a bit as they can be quite clever wordsmiths.

Now that I don’t read to my children much anymore, my poetry reading has dwindled but isn’t quite forgotten. Every once in a while I will take an afternoon with what seems to be an old friend, getting lost in the emotions that spring from the page. Somedays I will find something online or a short piece tucked away in other content that will speak to me. Somedays the words flow from my own mouth and hand easily, others they do not. Poetry is about feeling, and being authentic in that feeling.

I chose three poems for this post. They are all very different and have nothing in common. But I can recite them (or most of each anyway) from memory. They stuck with me, not because of the content or because they are the best poems, but because they have a special meaning in my life. I hope you enjoy them too!

The Cat in the Hat – Dr. Suess

Everyone knows this one. Dr. Suess is probably a staple in most people’s homes (if he’s not, I’m shocked!). This story has been made into multiple movies and featured some big Hollywood names. A little mischievous, the Cat in the Hat causes a bunch of trouble for Sally and her brother (whose name we never learn until years later when they call him Conrad in the movies), and a stern goldfish tries to keep everything in order. But it’s not the story I love, although it’s good and a lot of fun to read aloud. It’s the joy of watching my kids listen and later seeing them act it out. My oldest would have me read this three, four times before bed, always with, “Just one more time. PPPPlllleaseeee?”

A Dream Within a Dream – Edgar Allan Poe

In typical Poe character, this poem makes you think about life and it’s inner turmoils. He speaks about how life slips away like grains of sand. You try to hold onto it but it slips through your fingers, each day becoming a memory and essentially a dream within a dream. A little dreary, but it makes you appreciate the moments that matter a little more. I try not to read the melancholy stuff so much anymore as I find it comes out in my writing (but it’s not always sunshine and roses in real life either, is it?). This poem has stuck with me for 25 years and I’m not quite sure why, but it marked my soul.

May I feel he said – E.E. Cummings

Okay, this one is about sex or the game of sex. The he is not so subtly trying to seduce the she. It shows with no small amount of humor the game that interested partners play in mutual seduction. The mating game. You go on to learn that he is married, and in the end, she claims him as hers. Over the years, many have thought it was about rape, but you can be sure there are many layers of consent included.

 I was given the honour of acting this one out in college, playing the she. It’s fast-paced and when seen instead of read you’re given an inside view of how seduction works.

E.E. Cummings is quite well known for his erotic poetry, so it’s no surprise that I love his work.

I want to thank May More from ifsexmatters.co.uk for hosting this wonderful project. It’s been very enjoyable reminiscing, finding new pleasures and learning some great things along the way.

 There were four parts to #BookMatters. Please also see Fiction, Non-Fiction, and children’s books.

To see who else contributed to #BookMatters week 4, click on the badge.

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