Tuesday, July 2, 2013

What is poetry for me?

I have read few poems in some online magazines of today. And I am not totally disappointed to observe that my poems are not a good fit for those magazines. Mainly because my poems rhyme while most editors prefer free verses. They want to know how far a poet can go on playing with the language; using singular words in the verses which I find difficult to understand. Often I end up using a dictionary to get the meanings of the words and thereby losing the context of the poem itself. Having said that, I don't mean any disrespect for poets who compose free verses. I have written few verses myself; but without any words which you need a dictionary.

To me, a poem should be a tiny story, a small journey taking you through subtle time and space, and it should make you sing along (rhyme). The way the poem flows, is also very important; every stanza is a small leap forward. I believe the poem will have the same intensity if the idea is good. So the words I use are very simple. A good idea is the one that provokes a reader's mind; it should shoot a bullet right through his brains and make his heart throb. Then no matter what the level of vocabulary is, I am confident that my work is good. I am aware that not all of my poems are good, but I have small list of poems which I believe are my best. I know I sound conventional or old fashioned to some, but hey, that's the way I like it.

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