One of my favourite places to read poetry is from Tower Poetry Society, including the latest Winter 2022-2023 issue.
One poem featured by poet Kathryn Robertson pictures wolves circling the body of the dead partner of the alpha male.
Inconsolable
“The alpha grey wolf
howls a mournful cry
that sails on the sleeves
of a winter wind…”
Notice the spare wording, just enough to open the scene. You can almost hear the howl and feel the cold winter wind. The poem is complete in four short stanzas.
Then just the right words in the closing lines connect the grief in the wolves’ world to human grief. Few words for a complex topic but so rich in meaning. You’d have to read the entire poem to get the full effect, and you can see by this small piece the meticulous use of words and sound.
If you’re writing poetry, you need to read it. Ask librarians at your local library for recommendations. Find the masters online at Canadian Poetry Online and Poetry.com. Look for current poets too, such as Dennis Lee, James Deahl, Luci Shaw, D. S. Martin, and Sheila Stewart among many other talented writers.
Read through poems, rhyming, ballad and free verse, and figure out what makes them work. Is it the rhythm, word choice, rhyme? Is it the break of stanzas and deliberate arrangement of lines?
Don’t just read poetry. Try your hand at writing it too. Strong emotions are good fodder for a poem. Playful looks at a scene or topic are also possibilities. How about a backwards day?
Backwards
“What if
instead of rising morn
we peel the day backwards
from dusk to dawn …”
If you’re up for the challenge, try the Wednesday poetry prompts by Robert Lee Brewer at Writer’s Digest or his April poetry challenge, every day of that month.
Through the pandemic, I joined in the online monthly Tower Poetry workshops. The poet reads a poem and receives feedback on it. Not for the faint of heart, but done respectfully by a group of people serious about writing poetry.
Perhaps you have a poet in your writer’s critique group who can offer helpful feedback on a poem you share. If you have, that’s great. The input of others can make your poem stronger.
If you’re new to writing poetry but enjoy reading the genre, go ahead, give it a try. If your poetry writing has dwindled, go back to it again. Like a good meal takes time to prepare, it takes time to make good poetry. Even if you play with words a bit each day. Happy writing!