Using Creative Expression in Anecdotes

A common misconception about poetry is that just because you write about a tragic and heart-felt event, doesn't mean that the poem conveys that feeling....

A common misconception about poetry is that just because you write about a tragic and heart-felt event, doesn't mean that the poem conveys that feeling. If something happened to you that made you feel a very strong emotion, you should be writing the emotion and effect of the event more than the actual event. It may be tragic, but it's boring if how you feel isn't clearly expressed.

To write emotions into a poem about an event, it can be as simple as using more mood words and vocabulary.

Sally ran down the hill to see her sick grandmother.

or

Sally raced frantically down what seemed to be and endless hill of misfortune. Her gravely ill elder awaited her.

It's impossible to show the reader exactly what you are feeling, but the effect of your word choice can come close. The first sentence makes you want to say, "Oh, poor Sally..." but the second sentence makes you want to say, "What happens next?"

Here's what I've seen a lot in entries to contests about dark poetry:

NI Poem

I heard the doctor say,

"I'm sorry"

I walked home.

I cried myself to sleep.

I lost another child

To miscarriage.

My husband gave me a hug.

My life will never be the same.

Sad event, correct? The problem is that simply writing events and then adding line breaks doesn't make it a poem. You want to feel bad for that person, but it's a little hard because they aren't really sharing a lot of emotion that poetry is supposed to convey. You're stuck with schema and past experiences to work with.

WW Poem:

An endless

Torturous ring

Spirals into my brain

"I'm sorry"

Again and again in the cold nights I hear it.

The lifelessness I brought into the world

My now empty, taunting womb stays to destroy me

Inside-out I will crumble.

A loss that gives

A gift I cannot return

For even the warmth of my lover's arms

Cannot change the story

Cannot bring life

To the unborn child

To my undead heart

Take note that the same terrible event takes place, but the feelings are expressed in a much more convincing way. Stories and line breaks don't make a poem, emotion and honesty make a poem.

Comments

Weaver

Posted 13 Years Ago "A common misconception about poetry is that just because you write about a tragic and heart-felt event, doesn't mean that the poem conveys that feeling." - You;'re saying the opposite of what you mean here. Try "A common misconception about poetry is that just because you write about a tragic and heart-felt event, the poem conveys that feeling." "it's boring if how you feel isn't clearly expressed" - A lot of poetry is written with deliberate ambiguity, leaving it to the reader to decide exactly what emotion (or even what event) is being described.