Thank you very much for both of these, Maryann. I somehow don't yet have that book of Rick's, so I'll rectify that!
I failed to mention your humorous riff on Timothy Steele's "Sapphics Against Anger," which might be particularly appreciated by anyone reading this thread for inspiration:
Anger Against Sapphics
with apologies to Timothy Steele
Dammit. Why is everything always harder
every time I try to use other meters,
striking ones, not regular, plain old iambs?
What is my problem??!!
Iambs flow like cream into morning coffee,
roll like rills of metrical maple syrup.
Why does this feel clotted and unpoetic,
lumpy as oatmeal?
Clomping like a polka with oompah-oompahs,
bumping, banging: That's what a sapphic sounds like,
blaring on and off like a warning buzzer,
never relaxing—
What? You think I'm whining? You think it's easy?
All I have to say to you then is, try it.
There. What's that? You're not having any trouble?
Dammit. I hate you.
Published in
Poemeleon
[Julie again:]
BTW, I've published three, but it's very bad form to post one's own work to "Musing on Mastery," so I'll just hastily sneak in these links for those interested:
Terra Firma (please note that I have since become disaffected with this venue)
On Noticing How Many Pro-Life Men Are Smokers
Calendar Girls
I wonder why there's no question about capitalizing Shakespearean and Petrarchan and Spenserian, but Sapphic goes so often uncapitalized. It seems as if what's good for the ganders should be good for the goose.