An interesting
discussion has arisen in the Light Verse Bakeoff up at Distinguished Guest. One of the poems is, in my view, and the view of a few others, decidedly NOT "light verse", though others contend that it
is. I love the poem -- it's full of dark cynicism and it casts a rather pointed light on human nature. It's done in a slightly bemused, slightly accusatory tone, but has a fairly jaunty meter with a few amusing rhyme pairings. But overall, I think the poem isn't light verse, due to the depth of subject matter.
Ultimately, I'm now a bit perplexed as to what one would consider "light verse". I've always thought of light verse as humorous and without a lot of depth -- geared more towards snickers and guffaws than deep contemplation; slapstick comedy versus satiric drama. I don't see how heavy / deep subjects with cynical tones can be considered "light", regardless of the meter or rhyme scheme.
I should point out that this is by no means a criticism of John selecting this particular poem for the Bakeoff...I'm just curious as to where folks draw the line between "light verse" and other forms of poetry.