Taking the Easy Way Out

On By Suzanne B. LeitnerIn My Poetry, New Things, Poetry, Reading2 Comments

And since it is axiomatic to say, “There are worse things than death,” it is appropriate that today’s poetic device is

Elegy:  A poem of grief or mourning; a lyric lament.

The Poet’s Dictionary: A Handbook of Prosody and Poetic Device, by William Packard.  While I am thinking of it, I should tell you that I am only partially quoting most of these definitions.  The examples and elaborations Packard gives for some of them go on, quite helpfully, for pages.

And so for my version of a lyric lament, which was written many years ago., thus, this post is taking the easy way out by using a pre-existing poem, which may or may not disqualify me from your assurances.  As for there being worse things to befall us than death, I would have to say, that may be true for the individual who experiences the departure, but it is not true for those of us who are left living.

Continue reading “Taking the Easy Way Out” →

Okay. So if poetry (or MY poetry) isn’t your thing…

On By Suzanne B. LeitnerIn Fiction, New ThingsLeave a comment

Maybe you want to check out some fiction at A Writer’s Pages Annex …  Here’s a sample:

Mickey eventually grabbed my strap again and whispered, “Come on.” But I didn’t want to go with him – I knew he was going in – and yet I was so fascinated I couldn’t not go. He pulled my satchel from my shoulder and laid it in the grass by the road. His great criminal mind must have instinctively known that a book satchel would make us appear suspicious, as though we didn’t belong – which we didn’t – as though we had just taken a detour after school to intrude here – which we had. He grabbed me by the wrist and forged ahead. Somehow I knew I was someplace that neither Rose nor Mama would approve of me being, but the knowledge that such a place was so close to my normal routes in life intrigued me all the more (I only later realized that it wasn’t the place that was to be avoided, but the event).

April 5: Three for Thursday on Monday (and other symptoms of insanity)

On By Suzanne B. LeitnerIn My Poetry, Observations uncategorized, Poetry, Reading, Your Poetry3 Comments

Today’s poetic device, as defined by William Packard in his book, The Poet’s Dictionary: A Handbook of Prosody and Poetic Devices, is

Dramatic Poetry:  Poetry that involves two or more notes or TONES or VOICES, as opposed to lyric poetry which involves a single note or tone or voice.  Dramatic poetry is not often represented in standard anthologies for English or American poetry because most dramatic verse is written for the theater.

I wrote a poem several years ago that I have entitled many things, but the final version ended up with the title, “Interrupted Monologues.”  I wrote this poem to be read through twice. The first time, Part I is to be read first, then Part II. The second time through, the lines are to be read straight across the page, as if the voices are interrupting each other, or finishing each others’ sentences.  Because it is written in columns, I cannot post it here in its true form, so I am providing a link herein, so that you can see the poem on the page.  You can hear the poem read (along with a poem written by Anthony Abbott, and a poem written by Gary Metheny) in the video below.

Here is the link for the poem itself:  Interrupted Monologues

Thanks for viewing and reading.

April 4 Poem

On By Suzanne B. LeitnerIn My Poetry, New Things, Poetry, Reading, Your Poetry5 Comments

Today’s device:

Confessional Poetry: Poetry that reveals crucial material about the personal life of the poet. The term was coined by critic M.L. Rosenthal to describe a loose movement in contemporary American poetry that began to focus on intimate details of the poet’s own psychic biography.

from The Poet’s Dictionary: A Handbook of Prosody and Poetic Devices (by William Packard).

I want to take the opportunity here to say that I love my mother and I loved my father, may he rest in peace.  While that fact is not completely irrelevant, it is also not controlling.  Pastor Scott W. Gustafson wrote in his book, Biblical Amnesia, the following:

This commandment [to honor one’s father and mother] is the only one that has a promise associated with it.  The promise says that, if the 12 tribes of Israel honor their mothers and fathers, they will live a long time in the land that God is giving them.  Israel was, in fact, relatively successful in keeping this commandment.  The Bible itself is testimony that they honored their mothers and fathers.  The Bible tells stories of their mothers and fathers.  It does not lie about these people.  We see them “warts and all.” Yet, the Bible interprets these people in relatively positive ways.

[emphasis mine]

In poetry, we see people “warts and all” too.  I could write much more on the topic, but I prefer not to do so.  Only this:  There is redemption and forgiveness in poetry, but there is also lamentation; all of those things are legitimate.  Before there can be any of those things, however, there has to be emotional truth.  This poem attempts to describe the truth as seen by a 12 year old girl.  It was first published in Cairn, vol. XXXV. Continue reading “April 4 Poem” →

April 3: May “the force” be with me

On By Suzanne B. LeitnerIn My Poetry, New Things, Poetry, Reading1 Comment

Today’s poetic device:

Catalogue:  The listing of persons or places or things. Catalogues are sometimes endless genealogies or listings of proper names and places that can create an hypnotic effect in the rhythmic repetition of strange and curious and exotic names, like a recitation or an incantation.  Eventually the phonetics of the items being listed will become soporific, thus lulling a listener or reader into a mild trance state.

(The Poet’s Dictionary: A Handbook of Prosody and Poetic Devices by William Packard)

You may have heard these kinds of poems referred to as “list poems.”  I have never been a fan of these types of poems because I don’t feel I have ever written a good one.  The first one I remember writing was a study of all the things on my daughter’s bedroom floor when she was about 7 years old.  Really, I found the whole exercise quite depressing.  At any rate, my reluctance is exactly the reason I am making myself do this today.  “Get out of your comfort zone” and blah blah blah.  Continue reading “April 3: May “the force” be with me” →