To those that know me, I am a traditional, fixed verse poet with a neoclassical style. Though I’ve not necessarily shared my work online all that much, I’ve quietly worked on my technique for many years now and I’m proud to say that I have a very full portfolio now. Though it might surprise you to hear this, I spent decades avoiding poetry – a world that seems alien to me now as poetry is so natural and valuable in my life.
Much of the reason for my initial discouragement is because, as a teenager and young adult, poetry was introduced to me as a highly abstracted artform with no metrical or thematic structure. It had seemed to me there was no point in pursuing an artform that is so overwhelmingly postmodern when my style is so antiquarian by contrast. But thankfully, my desire to write burned so deeply that I couldn’t keep it locked away forever.
Though I feel grateful to have such a clear purpose with a natural and exciting artform – something that creatives seek for many years to find, and I can absolutely enjoy the powerful rebellion of being a traditionalist in a sea of often rootless and aimless free verse, I am nonetheless dismayed by some of the things I’ve come to understand about the state of modern poetry.
Though poetry is absolutely a natural creative medium for me, it is also worth noting that I actually use resources in my creative process. When I write poetry, I keep tabs open for a thesaurus, rhyming dictionary, syllable counter, dictionary and etymology dictionary at all times. I also use reference articles about metrical forms like iambic pentameter or anapestic tetrameter. I am frequently asked by aspiring poets what my secrets are to write such an unusually antiquated style, but they are shocked when I give them practical resources like those mentioned above.
Though there are tons of visual artists and prose writers at every level who are eager to get better and encourage others to do the same, there is very little desire to develop poetry as a skill within the poetry space – whether online or offline. There is very little discussion of themes or components of poetry as a medium – much less discussion of meter.
There is often such much mediocrity in the culture of poetry and at times it is full of bitterness and egotism from people who seem actively antagonistic towards treating poetry as a creative skill like it is in all other mediums. There is also a persistent attitude among free verse poets that their lack of structure or themes actually makes them “transcendent” in their artistic vision.
I’m middle aged now, and have developed creative confidence that I worked hard to achieve, but I often worry that this toxic, pretentious atmosphere is one of the main reasons why so many younger poets avoid putting effort and sincere passion into their exploration of the medium. This is especially true in the age of social media that often favors satisfaction over substance.
It really does feel like the image of the elitist beatnik from almost a century ago has become burned into the common public consciousness so deeply that it will potentially take generations for the medium to have a real paradigm shift. Though the continued appreciation of the past that has been nurtured gives me some measure of hope, I often find myself saddened by what the future might hold for poetry.