proper poem production
<< Dec 17, 2004 @ 17:02 >>
I really love anapestic verse, even more than iambic. "Twas the Night Before Christmas" is anapestic, as is (probably intentionally) most the lines in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." It seems Dr. Seuss had a preference for anapestic verse, or even verse with three or more unstressed syllables for every one stressed. The exception being "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" which was apparently iambic monometer.
Edward Gorey's "The Gashlycrumb Tinies" and "The Doubtful Guest," both of which I thoroughly enjoy, also appear to be anapestic verse. Though, I'm no expert. I would have at first maybe thought "The Raven" (a poem I regard as being linguistically near perfection) was also anapestic, however now I definitely see how it is in fact trochaic octameter like Google says. (See trochee.)
I personally find it much easier to write poetry that is anapestic. Then again, maybe it is just easier to emulate another poem's rhythm. The more constrained your parameters, the easier it is to be creative I find. I mean, if somebody says "you have one hour to write anything creative you want," it is much harder to be creative than if someone says "you have one hour to write a dialogue between any human and any inhuman object, the plot must involve a trip to the video store, and you can't use the letter W."
Now, you have one hour to write a dialogue between any human and any inhuman object, the plot must involve a trip to the video store, and you can't use the letter W. Go.
Reader Comments...
December 17, 2004 @ 19:20:30
sith33 (#999)
Me and my pencil needed to look at some movies. I told my pencil that the best thing about him had to be his sleek and sexy body. He replied that he thought the same thing about me. To celebrate this agreement, the pair of us travelled to the video store to rent some hot hot man on pencil action. At the store though, the clerk told us that no such tapes existed. Because of this, I used the pencil to stab the clerk in the eye. And then I cried.
December 17, 2004 @ 19:29:08
xopl (#001)
Allow me to demonstrate what a dialogue looks like to somebody who isn't obviously on drugs:
"Is it St. Swithins Day already?"
"Tis," replied Aunt Helga.
December 17, 2004 @ 23:24:23
sith33 (#999)
You, sir, have a limited grasp of the english language.
December 18, 2004 @ 01:09:58
xopl (#001)
You, sir, have a limiteder grasp of the english language.
December 18, 2004 @ 03:53:04
74 (#074)
{I would have at first maybe "The Raven"}
I dunno xopl, your english wasn't looking so hot in that one, think you might be missing a word or two.
So I says to my car, I says, "look you piece of shit, if you don't take me to the fucking video store I'm going to fucking pummel you into sand"
The vehicle replied, "of course, soft human".
He then promptly drove me to the porno store. Upon arriving I could be heard scolding my vehicle's overly literal translation.
W really is a useless letter isn't it?
December 18, 2004 @ 14:01:57
xopl (#001)
'Twas the week before Christmas,
departing the house,
with the day off from working
I left and got soused.
Oh, the weather was chilly,
so just out the door,
I remembered to thank the
three layers I wore.
With my friend Ian joining,
we walked down the street.
I did talk about Megan
who later we'd meet.
Pracna's beer was two dollars,
so there we did go.
And I nearly did slip in
the new fallen snow.
December 18, 2004 @ 15:03:08
sith33 (#999)
That had like seven million w's in it. You lose! You're banned.
December 18, 2004 @ 15:22:46
xopl (#001)
Clearly it wasn't a dialogue either.