A word after a word
after a word is power

~Spelling, by Margaret Atwood

Kiss me on the inside.

"Dune Moss" Miles Davis & Zucchero

The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke
Edited and Translated by Stephen Mitchell

I need a brain break.

http://upload.storiesspace.com/1399184400-image.jpeg

There is an issue with your Muse. The more you know, the better off you are. Take a moment to read my latest Musing. It'll make you smile. It's called "Seriously, She Ain't Loyal". Give it a read and let me know what you think.

Thanks,
AvrgBlkGrl

http://www.storiesspace.com/stories/musings/seriously-she-aint-loyal.aspx


http://upload.storiesspace.com/846204006-image.jpeg

I collect antique, Japanese, cast iron teapots.
My husband had a beautiful display area created
in are breakfast area. It takes up an entire wall. And,
it's full.

I also collect hard covered books. I have a weekness for
books that explore early cultural mythology and
books that examine or have a story line that deals with
minority culture. Oh, and anything published by major
Existentialist. The older the better. I guess it's because of my
teaching discipline.

Punctuation in poetry is debatable. Like when it comes to grammar rules in poetry, some people feel strongly about it. I personally can take it or leave it. It depends on how I'm trying to say what I'm saying. So, I'm on the side of both. Not all poems need punctuation. And, isn't the poem itself the most important thing. Punctuation gives order, reduces confusion, establishes pace, gives emphasis and leads the reader. The whole idea of communicating is not just to be heard, but possibly understood. Of course an exceptional poem takes you beyond just the gift and insight the writer is sharing. Punctuation helps the poem. I'm pretty traditional about this. It is as important as word choice, phrasing and line/stanza breaks. However, what it should never do is distract the reader.

The very nature of poetry makes it attractive to the defiant, those of us that love to color outside of the lines--like me. There are all sorts of ways to experiment with it. I cannot stress enough the importance of not letting your idea of creativity ruin your poem though. "Kill your darlings." These are the harshest and hardest words to follow when writing. I don't care what type of writing you are doing. Do what is best for the poem. If punctuation distracts, then eliminate it. There is nothing wrong with that. The presence or absence should be a functioning part of the poem--not something you don't do because you are lazy (many people run to poetry because they don't want to learn grammar). Look at ee cummings (everyone loves to bring him up and refer to "anyone lived in a pretty how town"), no punctuation and no grammar rules. You can't even write his name the way we are taught to write them according to him. I for one love Ntozake Shange and her poem "it's not so good to be born a girl/ sometimes". She doesn't use line breaks, capitalization or stanzas. It takes an exceptionally highly skilled writer to break the rules successfully. I'm no Ntozake Shange and you're most likely no ee cummings. You are going to have to be that kind of creative somewhere else. We are not trying to change rules here.

So, use punctuation or choose not to. Never the less, YOU MUST BE CONSISTENT throughout the poem. (Like when people use rhyme and fully develop a rhythm or meter, then pick it up and put it down and pick it up again--but, that's another thread all together.588-rolleyes ) If you choose to use punctuation it must be grammatically correct. One way to check that is to remove all your line breaks and stanza's and edit it like prose. Capitalization is standard at the beginning of each line/stanza and quite acceptable (preferred but not totally necessary). I don't care how deeply you want the reader to think as your sentence trails off...An ellipses consists of three dots--end of discussion. Hyphens and dashes are two different things used for two different reasons. No AAAAHHHHH, just Ah (or maybe Aah because it's in Webster). AH is an acronym for Arts and Humanities.

Sidebar:
I don't care how deeply you want the reader to think as your sentence trails off...An ellipses consists of three dots--end of discussion.
Hyphens and dashes are two different things used for two different reasons. It is acceptable to use a hyphen as a dash, but you must have a space before and after it.
No AAAAHHHHH, just Ah (or maybe Aah because it's in Webster). By the way, AH is an acronym for Arts and Humanities.
Just because the system double spaces your poem, every poem doesn't need to be double spaced. Spacing controls the speed of the reading. Choose it carefully. Don't be lazy if it doesn't need to be double spaced, edit again and space it appropriately.

Have fun, but don't sacrifice quality.

Punctuation in poetry is debatable. Like when it comes to grammar rules in poetry, some people feel strongly about it. I personally can take it or leave it. It depends on how I'm trying to say what I'm saying. So, I'm on the side of both. Not all poems need punctuation. And, isn't the poem itself the most important thing. Punctuation gives order, reduces confusion, establishes pace, gives emphasis and leads the reader. The whole idea of communicating is not just to be heard, but possibly understood. Of course, an exceptional poem takes you beyond just the gift and insight the writer is sharing. Punctuation helps the poem. I'm pretty traditional about this. It is as important as word choice, phrasing and line/stanza breaks. However, what it should never do is distract the reader. If it is distracting, for the sake of the poem, eliminate it.

The very nature of poetry makes it attractive to the defiant, those of us that love to color outside of the lines--like me. There are all sorts of ways to experiment with it. I cannot stress enough the importance of not letting your idea of creativity ruin your poem though. "Kill your darlings." These are the harshest and hardest words to follow when writing. I don't care what type of writing you are doing. Do what is best for the poem. If punctuation distracts, then eliminate it. There is nothing wrong with that. The presence or absence should be a functioning part of the poem--not something you don't do because you are lazy (many people run to poetry because they don't want to learn grammar).

Look at ee cummings (everyone loves to bring him up and refer to "anyone lived in a pretty how town"), no punctuation and no grammar rules. You can't even write his name the way we are taught to write them according to him. I for one love Ntozake Shange and her poem "it's not so good to be born a girl/ sometimes". She doesn't use line breaks, capitalization or stanzas. It takes an exceptionally highly skilled writer to break the rules successfully. I'm no Ntozake Shange and you're most likely no ee cummings. You are going to have to be that kind of creative somewhere else. We are not trying to change rules here.

So, use punctuation or choose not to. Never the less, YOU MUST BE CONSISTENT throughout the poem. (Like when people use rhyme and fully develop a rhythm or meter, then pick it up and put it down and pick it up again--but, that's another thread all together. :-"

If you choose to use punctuation it must be grammatically correct. One way to check that is to remove all your line breaks and stanza's and edit it like prose. Capitalization is standard at the beginning of each line/stanza and quite acceptable (preferred but not totally necessary).

Side bar:
I don't care how deeply you want the reader to think as your sentence trails off...An ellipses consists of three dots--end of discussion.
Hyphens and dashes are two different things used for two different reasons. It is acceptable to use a hyphen as a dash, but you must have a space before and after it.
No AAAAHHHHH, just Ah (or maybe Aah because it's in Webster). By the way, AH is an acronym for Arts and Humanities.
Just because the system double spaces your poem, every poem doesn't need to be double spaced. Spacing controls the speed of the reading. Choose it carefully. Don't be lazy if it doesn't need to be double spaced, edit again and space it appropriately.

Have fun, but don't sacrifice quality.

I love our poets.


AvrgBlkGrl💋

Here are just two out of hundreds...

The soundtrack from the "The Mission" starring Robert DeNiro and Jeremy Irons
http://zealforyourhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/themission.jpg

and

"The Fountain" starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz
http://punctultau.ro/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/the-fountain.jpg

This poem will start with an “I’m sorry” But it will not be meant  Because yes it hears the birds chirping And sees the flowers sway in the warmed breeze The sun is shining upon its face But the same sun burns and ages the skin   The heart of this poem does not sing Its words are darker than just blue It sees the storm as it approaches This poem welcomes the rain Tonight the moon...

Added 15 Jan 2019 | Category Poetry | Votes 13 | Avg Score 5 | Views 738 | 8 Comments

I am a lover of words.  I like  What they do to my tongue. Each letter  Whispers its own tune  To me,  When spoken together  A song. Like love,  How it opens the lips,  Extends the tongue,  Closes with a kiss,  Sounds hopeful.  How the letter O,  When accentuated,  Can leave you breathless.  The entire face must work together  To form it. Fuck…feel...fight…fun…  How do...

Added 30 Jul 2014 | Category Poetry | Votes 27 | Avg Score 5 | Views 3,258 | 23 Comments

Just because she doesn't cry,  Doesn’t mean a thing.  What she’s piddling with  Is a hainted heart. Sometimes tears  Can't cause a river  Deep enough for a woman  To dip her haint of a heart in  --Not when she has lived too long  In such a short time. What is the purpose of a tear  If not to soothe? A woman can grow dry  Inside  Like burnt leaves,  Discarded among dead roots ...

Added 01 Mar 2014 | Category Poetry | Votes 16 | Avg Score 4.75 | Views 1,918 | 16 Comments

A friend of mine is having a hard time. His no love, no job, no idea what to do with myself state is getting to him. Hope is on the horizon. I'm absolutely sure of this for him. Why, because he's my friend and my love does wonders. In the meantime…Blah, blah, blah. Survival is tough mentally.  My advice to him: Write.  He’s talented. It is a side thing for him, I know. However, writing is...

Added 19 Sep 2015 | Category Musings | Votes 24 | Avg Score 5 | Views 1,354 | 23 Comments

Once a child With a world so wide The sky so close I could spread my arms like wings Reach for the warmth of the sun Feel the fall of rainbows Washing over me Leaving me vivid I was color  Soft like petals  Opening for the first time Mouthing words  Becoming sound Spelling my own name Always Dreaming forward More than a girl Less than a woman Learning power  The curve of...

Added 24 Sep 2015 | Category Poetry | Votes 20 | Avg Score 5 | Views 1,261 | 21 Comments

When I was fifteen, I wrote a poem that earned me a spot in a writer’s workshop. I didn’t submit it, a teacher did. I was the youngest person in the workshop. I did not know it at the time but a special arrangement had been made for me after some degree of protest. I didn’t even have to pay. There was a girl, she was seventeen and apparently gifted from the way her poetry read. She paid. The...

Added 19 Nov 2014 | Category Musings | Votes 15 | Avg Score 5 | Views 1,963 | 16 Comments

This is what I owe you My baby My Kate My memory It's that time of year Again I retreat Slowly First within closed curtains  Darkened rooms Under the covers There are no dates or calendars needed None that can define How my mind drifts My body slows I cannot eat You were real I smell your newness  In the oddest of places Hear you breathe The quickness of your heart  Beating...

Added 05 Sep 2015 | Category Poetry | Votes 27 | Avg Score 5 | Views 1,879 | 25 Comments

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” Ralph Waldo Emerson said that. Ralph was so right. I’m visiting my family in Germany right now. I haven’t been back home in quite some time. I woke up at 11 a.m. But keep in mind, that is six hours earlier on my body’s clock which is still operating according to Eastern...

Added 05 Jun 2015 | Category Musings | Votes 15 | Avg Score 5 | Views 1,410 | 16 Comments

I wanted to write a poem for you.  I've never written one before.  I've seen that little book you keep,  the cuts and pastes of your life, a collection of words.  I've seen the pictures and the artful curve of your script.  I've seen you nurture it when you thought there were no eyes.  I want to be a part of your book.  I want to be a part of your life. I look into your life.  I...

Added 19 Feb 2015 | Category Poetry | Votes 15 | Avg Score 5 | Views 1,519 | 17 Comments

If I had known her I would have asked How does a heart break We are not born with excess bits and pieces To be broken off Given away here Left behind there Pressed between the pages of a favorite book Like a flower barely resembling what it once was Lifeless A pale and dull hue of what should have been Everything is so necessary Codependent The smallest absence can devastate A tremor can...

Added 16 Jan 2018 | Category Poetry | Votes 7 | Avg Score 5 | Views 687 | 7 Comments