Hey, no need to preach here! I revere Donne.
I know this is off the subject of St Lucy's Day, but here's my idea, which backs up yours, Mark: I write poems about difficult things, nervy situations, inner conflict, etc. I feel if I wrote in a nice smoooth pretty metre it would change the poems' meanings totally.
Right? That kind of smooth, unchallenging metre can sometimes sound a bit complacent, and gets in the way of the meaning of the poem.
What you say is right, about the prevailing aesthetic on this site. I don't get it - that idea that metrical "perfection" (if it were actually possible) IS somehow perfection. A lot of the poems on here could do with being ruffled up a bit.
I also think there's a lot we could learn in this way from Milton's meaty, satisfying textures - he never cloys.
But in the end it comes down to the ear, whatever you're trying to do. A lot of poets (I'm doing a lot of reviewing at the moment & this is the one thing I'm mainly notiicing) seem not to listen!
KEB
[This message has been edited by Katy Evans-Bush (edited December 24, 2004).]
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