Lines (and stanzas) are the basic features that distinguish a poem from prose. Certain unique skills are needed to consistently build poems that stand out.
A poet needs to learn to fellowship with self to get clarity of thoughts. Solitude is a place of productivity, a fertile ground for creativity. A good poet is observant, aware of his environment—people, nature and events—and possesses a sharp sense of perception and empathy. A poet is as a child, curious and inquisitive—exploring and experimenting.
There are four areas a poet needs to develop to create powerful and sustaining art:
I. Themes and Titles
“Ideally, it (a title) should suggest that a feast is before you, and that it will taste of ideas and humankind and beauty…” -Michael Atkinson
It’s often said that writing is not about saying new things, rather, it is saying familiar things in new ways. Write what you know or read (research) extensively.
Titles are a poet’s first contact with his audience. It is the introduction to the body of work he’s offering for readership. Titling your poem should be a sacred ritual, something you devote attention to like you would, christening your baby.
We all approach this task of naming the poem different ways. Some wait until the poem is completed before thinking up a name while some start out with the title and work down the body. Personally, I believe a title guides the writer’s thoughts and allows him to track his movement so he doesn’t stray off. So, I always advise that you have a title, tentative, to work with while still writing—this could change by the time you are done writing.
“I sometimes find that if I’m really struggling to title a poem it’s because I don’t know what I’m naming—I don’t know what the poem is, and that’s a sign that it’s not actually finished” Kathryn Simmonds
Avoid clichéd titles. They put off the potential reader. However, you need to understand that you will not always find ground-shaking or awe-inspiring titles for your poems.
There are several ways you can pick out a title for your work:
• A contextual title explains or summarises the whole piece. It basically gives the reader insight into the poem
• Adopting the refrain of the poem as a title.
• Using an expression from the poem.
• Adopting the title as a false first line of the poem, such that it leads the reader into the actual first line.
• Try a contrasting image of the poem’s theme
• Use one-word titles, you hardly go wrong with those.
Whatever approach you use, make sure that your title fits the poem and is not a spoiler. Do not wear out a unique or beautiful expression in the poem using it as a title—sometimes the magic only lasts with the surprise.
II. Language &Grammar
When you understand the language in which you write, you are able to put your thoughts together better. A good grasp of grammar helps the writer articulate his visions and thoughts aptly. It makes communication fluent and coherent.
It is key that the poet understands the rudiments of the language—a knowledge of the parts of speech and how they relate with each other, tenses and punctuations.
It is important to know that learning is a continuous process. There is failsafe approach a student of the language needs to take—keep it simple.
A writer needs to have the habit of learning, not only new words, but how the words work in different scenarios. A misplaced punctuation can throw your reader off-track as much as much as a misspelled word.
However, some write their poems without the use of punctuation (a style that many contemporary poets adopt)
THE GRAMMAR LESSON
A noun's a thing. A verb's the thing it does.
An adjective is what describes the noun.
In "The can of beets is filled with purple fuzz"
of and with are prepositions. The's
an article, a can's a noun,
a noun's a thing. A verb's the thing it does.
A can can roll—or not. What isn't was
or might be, might meaning not yet known.
"Our can of beets is filled with purple fuzz"
is present tense. While words like our and us
are pronouns —i.e., it is moldy, they are icky brown.
A noun's a thing; a verb's the thing it does.
Is is a helping verb. It helps because
filled isn't a full verb. Can's what our owns
in "Our can of beets is filled with purple fuzz."
See? There's almost nothing to it. Just
memorize these rules . . . or write them down!
A noun's a thing, a verb's the thing it does.
The can of beets is filled with purple fuzz.
— Steve Kowit
III. Images & Imagery
The use of imagery in a poetry is the means by which expressions are given emotions—it is what gives poetry the intensity that differentiates it from other genres of writing. The creation of an image is meant to stir the readers’ empathy or bias and awaken memories. Imagery uses symbols or instances or comparisons or analogy to interpret a theme or depict a situation.
When the word imagery is mentioned, what comes to mind mostly are metaphors, similes, personification—but imagery can either be literal or figurative.
Literal images are made up of elements that make up the five human senses. The visual images seem to get favoured mostly as more people can relate with colours, shapes etc.
Generally, we all have our favourite of the five senses but it is good that a poet balances the images in his poems (sights, sounds, touch, smell and taste).
Literal imagery is as expressive as figurative imagery and are mostly more relatable and less cumbersome. Figurative imagery can be tricky because they are more abstract in nature. Extra attention is needed to create attractive and relevant metaphors (and when I say metaphor, I refer to anything that is an allusion rather than the actual).
The art of line breaks is also one of the ways to evoke images and emotions. Line breaks are a means of setting the mood and tempo of a poem. Line breaks should be deliberate: are you creating space, or creating an element of surprise or is it about sound and rhymes? Remember, each line is a cell of experience!
IV. Editing & Revising
The secret to good writing is rewriting. The ability to take an impassive look at your poem to inject life—the ability to fix or discard lines, stanzas and images where necessary.
Many poems open with unsure feet, testing waters—other times, they go on long after they have actually ended. Ask questions of your lines: how, why, when, where, who, what? It helps you with clarity.
The following are things to look for when editing and rewriting:
• Clichés
• Ill-fitting images
• Undue repetitions
• Stuttering line breaks
• Thoughts devoid of logic
• Extreme biases/emotions
• Consistency of thoughts and images
References
1. Annie Neugebauer (2014), Titling Poems
2. Kim Addonizio & Dorianne Laux (1997), The Poet’s Companion
3. Steve Kowit (1995), In the Palm of Your Hand, the poet’s portable workshop
