Comments on: For my Llama, and my other friends at WMB http://online.worldmag.com/2008/04/18/for-my-llama-and-my-other-friends-at-wmb/ A forum for discussion of news that arises at the intersection of Christianity and culture. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:37:07 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: llama http://online.worldmag.com/2008/04/18/for-my-llama-and-my-other-friends-at-wmb/comment-page-1/#comment-294781 llama Mon, 21 Apr 2008 19:55:42 +0000 http://www.worldontheweb.com/2008/04/18/for-my-llama-and-my-other-friends-at-wmb/#comment-294781 Special Regardles of claims otherwise, that poetry does not need to rhyme at all to be special it does really Special

Regardles of claims
otherwise, that poetry
does not need
to rhyme
at all to be
special
it does
really

Report comment to moderator

]]> By: Harris http://online.worldmag.com/2008/04/18/for-my-llama-and-my-other-friends-at-wmb/comment-page-1/#comment-294502 Harris Sun, 20 Apr 2008 17:08:01 +0000 http://www.worldontheweb.com/2008/04/18/for-my-llama-and-my-other-friends-at-wmb/#comment-294502 I'm gone for a day and miss all the the fun :-(. Drill -- loved the words. A great story. I’m gone for a day and miss all the the fun :-( .

Drill — loved the words. A great story.

Report comment to moderator

]]> By: drill http://online.worldmag.com/2008/04/18/for-my-llama-and-my-other-friends-at-wmb/comment-page-1/#comment-294148 drill Fri, 18 Apr 2008 21:30:24 +0000 http://www.worldontheweb.com/2008/04/18/for-my-llama-and-my-other-friends-at-wmb/#comment-294148 I actually write a great deal of free verse, for all the grief I give Harrison on this topic. My unChristian glee at doing so (i.e. giving grief to my betters) probably stems from my own deep-rooted and pathological resentment of legions of dumpy English teachers with bee-hive hairdos and natty professors with goofy little goatees trying to wring innumerable Haikus and hug-a-tree poems out of my rebellious little brain. They never succeeded. Free verse poetry can be powerful. Always, however, you can take a coherent and lyric paragraph of poetic prose and turn it into a good or great free verse poem. Guaranteed. The problem then is to simply find the optimal structure of the bit of poetic writing which works best in free-verse form. And that is highly subjective, apparently, with preference varying from person to person, almost like preference (and hence variance) in type of music listened to. I challenge anyone (Harrison especially) to provide an example of a coherent and lyric bit of poetic PROSE which CANNOT be easily structured into an adequate or good or even great free-verse poem. In my opinion, the beauty of free-verse poetry is almost entirely in the prose writing which underlies it, which is at its best universal, and cuts across languages and eras and translations. But then what do I know? I nearly failed fourth grade (or fifth, I can't remember) because I refused to write a Haiku. I still remember being threatened with all kinds of dire life-long academic consequences if I did not produce a Haiku, like a chicken laying an egg. "Kid, you'll be pumping gas the rest of your life if you don't spit out a Haiku right this moment!" I COULD have, you know, but even back then I had Principles. Instead I gave the authorities an impromptu and highly colorful and descriptive free verse poem in which they figured as main characters. It netted me a week suspension, so for once my poetry paid off. I actually write a great deal of free verse, for all the grief I give Harrison on this topic.

My unChristian glee at doing so (i.e. giving grief to my betters) probably stems from my own deep-rooted and pathological resentment of legions of dumpy English teachers with bee-hive hairdos and natty professors with goofy little goatees trying to wring innumerable Haikus and hug-a-tree poems out of my rebellious little brain. They never succeeded.

Free verse poetry can be powerful.

Always, however, you can take a coherent and lyric paragraph of poetic prose and turn it into a good or great free verse poem. Guaranteed.

The problem then is to simply find the optimal structure of the bit of poetic writing which works best in free-verse form. And that is highly subjective, apparently, with preference varying from person to person, almost like preference (and hence variance) in type of music listened to.

I challenge anyone (Harrison especially) to provide an example of a coherent and lyric bit of poetic PROSE which CANNOT be easily structured into an adequate or good or even great free-verse poem.

In my opinion, the beauty of free-verse poetry is almost entirely in the prose writing which underlies it, which is at its best universal, and cuts across languages and eras and translations.

But then what do I know?

I nearly failed fourth grade (or fifth, I can’t remember) because I refused to write a Haiku. I still remember being threatened with all kinds of dire life-long academic consequences if I did not produce a Haiku, like a chicken laying an egg.

“Kid, you’ll be pumping gas the rest of your life if you don’t spit out a Haiku right this moment!”

I COULD have, you know, but even back then I had Principles. Instead I gave the authorities an impromptu and highly colorful and descriptive free verse poem in which they figured as main characters.

It netted me a week suspension, so for once my poetry paid off.

Report comment to moderator

]]> By: vivianpierce http://online.worldmag.com/2008/04/18/for-my-llama-and-my-other-friends-at-wmb/comment-page-1/#comment-294085 vivianpierce Fri, 18 Apr 2008 18:55:44 +0000 http://www.worldontheweb.com/2008/04/18/for-my-llama-and-my-other-friends-at-wmb/#comment-294085 The PCA's magazine, byFaith, just had an article on this topic in the February 2008 issue. It addresses some of the same questions - and also uses poetry as examples - but provides more explanation than the link HSK included. http://www.byfaithonline.com #10 - I love it. And I do like haiku. The PCA’s magazine, byFaith, just had an article on this topic in the February 2008 issue. It addresses some of the same questions – and also uses poetry as examples – but provides more explanation than the link HSK included. http://www.byfaithonline.com

#10 – I love it. And I do like haiku.

Report comment to moderator

]]> By: kimberly http://online.worldmag.com/2008/04/18/for-my-llama-and-my-other-friends-at-wmb/comment-page-1/#comment-294062 kimberly Fri, 18 Apr 2008 18:04:06 +0000 http://www.worldontheweb.com/2008/04/18/for-my-llama-and-my-other-friends-at-wmb/#comment-294062 In defense of free verse: TS Eliot In defense of free verse: TS Eliot

Report comment to moderator

]]> By: Travis Birkenstock http://online.worldmag.com/2008/04/18/for-my-llama-and-my-other-friends-at-wmb/comment-page-1/#comment-294028 Travis Birkenstock Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:13:11 +0000 http://www.worldontheweb.com/2008/04/18/for-my-llama-and-my-other-friends-at-wmb/#comment-294028 In rebuttal to post #3: The only problem with Haiku is that you just get started and then In rebuttal to post #3:

The only problem
with Haiku is that you just
get started and then

Report comment to moderator

]]> By: Peter L http://online.worldmag.com/2008/04/18/for-my-llama-and-my-other-friends-at-wmb/comment-page-1/#comment-294027 Peter L Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:11:38 +0000 http://www.worldontheweb.com/2008/04/18/for-my-llama-and-my-other-friends-at-wmb/#comment-294027 Why take the time to make lines rhyme? It shows some smart about the art that is much better than mime. Why take the time
to make lines rhyme?
It shows some smart
about the art
that is much better than mime.

Report comment to moderator

]]> By: jjf http://online.worldmag.com/2008/04/18/for-my-llama-and-my-other-friends-at-wmb/comment-page-1/#comment-294025 jjf Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:10:03 +0000 http://www.worldontheweb.com/2008/04/18/for-my-llama-and-my-other-friends-at-wmb/#comment-294025 HSK, If this were a student essay I'd write in the margins, "you can't let your examples speak for themselves -- EXPLAIN!!" :) HSK,

If this were a student essay I’d write in the margins, “you can’t let your examples speak for themselves — EXPLAIN!!”

:)

Report comment to moderator

]]> By: Make it Man http://online.worldmag.com/2008/04/18/for-my-llama-and-my-other-friends-at-wmb/comment-page-1/#comment-294019 Make it Man Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:59:25 +0000 http://www.worldontheweb.com/2008/04/18/for-my-llama-and-my-other-friends-at-wmb/#comment-294019 Thank you for the Robert Frost quote. There's a <i>reason</i> he's my favorite poet. Thank you for the Robert Frost quote. There’s a reason he’s my favorite poet.

Report comment to moderator

]]> By: Travis Birkenstock http://online.worldmag.com/2008/04/18/for-my-llama-and-my-other-friends-at-wmb/comment-page-1/#comment-294017 Travis Birkenstock Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:55:02 +0000 http://www.worldontheweb.com/2008/04/18/for-my-llama-and-my-other-friends-at-wmb/#comment-294017 <i> Isn’t so-called “free verse” just prose chopped into lines? </i> I would as soon write free verse as play tennis with the net down. (Robert Frost) Isn’t so-called “free verse” just prose chopped into lines?

I would as soon write free verse as play tennis with the net down.
(Robert Frost)

Report comment to moderator

]]>