Thread: Robert Johnson
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Unread 02-04-2025, 05:12 AM
Matt Q Matt Q is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ashley Bowen View Post
Re: the last line. I'm from the American South, and Southerners would definitely say that line, "don't SUFFering feel BETter IN a BRAND-new SUIT.
I guess the question then is whether you're only writing for readers who know this. If not, you might look for something less metrically ambiguous.

It's the three-syllable foot that results from a two-syllable "suffering" that makes the line problematic, I think. Without that "suffering" could be read either way and it wouldn't impact the number of feet.

best,

Matt
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