Well told, AZ. There's a poem in there, but it would be difficult, at least for me, to carry off without coming across as sappy and sentimental. Or preachy. Like one of those things I see in New Verse News (not all of them, but many) that I agree with, but wince at. And yet AZ's narrative presentation is not sappy in the least - it's straightforward and moving. If I could figure out why the narrative appears to work better, to be a better approach, it would help my poetry. Is it because the voice AZ uses - the wise-ass "street" voice - is not a poetical voice, and consequently transcends sweetness and moralizing? If the anecdote was "poeticized" in a similar voice would it work? Or would it sound artificial? Or am I just being a jerk? All of the above? Dunno.
Last edited by Michael Cantor; 09-21-2012 at 03:11 PM.
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