Alan, I didn't scan these poems before I commented on them, so I guess I need to amend my remarks.
I don't hear a relaxed lope in them. Rather, I hear the kind of quick beat that you get in light verse. Irregularities or not, I don't think she has done anything particularly interesting with the rhythms -- not like Hopkins or Auden did in their poems. But then, you don't always hear what I hear, especially in Hopkins.
(Incidentally, it has never been my desire to write in a relaxed lope -- I love strong rhythms; I just like those rhythms to be unusual and a little wild, like jazz improvisations.)
These poems by Cope run straight into one of my biases. I am little interested in poetry which doesn't have some gravity or dignity, and these particular poems seem to have little of that. Perhaps if you posted one of Cope's more serious or melancholy poems, I would relate to it better.
I find myself somewhat befuddled by the poets that you fellows choose to love. Cope is like Hardy in that they both lack a certain amount of artistry -- yes, artistry! Many (certainly not all) of Hardy's poems were slapped together from straightforward colloquial language, and as such they have a pedestrian sound. Judging from these poems by Cope, she seems to work in a similar way. Personally, I find more artistry in your own work.
Alan, the mystery in poetry is the depth of meaning which is written between the lines. For example, in Tim's poems about farming, I hear not just his own struggle but the struggles of farmers throughout the ages. His poetry resonates beyond his own experience, as do many of yours.
Caleb
[This message has been edited by Caleb Murdock (edited January 14, 2001).]
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