Compartment 114
Compartment 114
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"My Take On Poetry" (an interview)

"My Take On Poetry" (an interview)

A Poem by Richard🖌
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Short Composition

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"My Take On Poetry"


Forenote:


   While digging through my archives, I came upon this little composition from 1972, someone may find interesting, entertaining, or even informative.

   It is from a conversation between Leona, a novice poet and one of my students (also, a sophomore English major at SMU, in Dallas, Texas) and I, that was recorded on a reel-to-reel tape and transcribed by her into type as a grade paper.

   The composition is her format, but the wording is exactly as I spoke it.

  The introduction Rhyming Couplets poem is by a poet friend, who generously permitted it to be included ... I think it befits the moment and sets the tone perfectly.

 
~ Introduction ~
 
Poetry is a gift, the ability to show one's inner-self,
much as a proprietor displays his wares, upon a public shelf.
 
The ability to write in rhyme, makes not the poet,
but that he writes sincerely, and his readers know it.
 
That he can raise a tear, a smile, enlightenment, or query;
perhaps, shed moments of enlightenment, upon a subject dreary.
 
He doesn't need to be a scholar, knowing how to spell,
but simply one who starts a task, and tries to do it well.
 
But, most of all, the poet is a person, not in part, but whole;
for, when he writes he opens up … the gateway to his soul.
 
~ John F. Price ~
"theatercats"
______*______ 
 


  "Tell me, Richard, exactly what your take on poetry is," she said. 
  "Hmm?" I replied. "Let me think on that for a bit......!"
 
  "Well, Leona, to me, more than anything else, poetry is a brilliantly creative way for humans to express who they are, what they feel, and believe, and to touch one another without physical contact.
   As human beings, we experience and share a vast array of emotions, all of which are transient in nature.  The way we feel and what we think can change more often than the weather, with even less predictability. 
   I look upon my own poetical efforts, for example, as attempts to capture a moment's feelings in verse upon the page, much like a photographer records what they see through their lens onto film. 
   While looking back on what I've written over the years reminds me of what I felt when I wrote it, it does not necessarily reflect what I feel today. 
   One must realize, too, that when reading poetry, the desire is to connect on some level with what the poem is saying, and when one relates well, the tendency to do so is in the here and now. 
   Then, that which one writes ... what I write ... may afford a partial glimpse of who I am, but the whole of me remains impossible to see, or to even be glimpsed through mere words. 
   Yet, how truly wise we are when each one of us, who is gifted with the inherent talent of self-expression, comes to realize that we are rare and unique, indeed; especially, if we are fortunate in faithfully and honestly following this legacy. 
   For instance, if poetry were to try and express the full measure of the man in me; that it were to aspire to embrace the totality of my essence, it would be but a very weak reflection of the man/the person I am ... a misty shadow, if you will. 
   Poetry, may then well become but a very weak pursuit for a man and for a woman, but not now, and not in the life and skin in which I live; for, whether all that pours forth from my pen to page comes from some place fanciful or factual, it all originates from something I've lived, learned, dreamed, or deeply and characteristically (almost instinctively) understood within me ... a place as natural as breathing, or the quick, unaware blink of an eye, while the heart beats independently and the soul soars free on its own accord." 
 
   "I am not sure if this will adequately satisfy your question, Leona, but it is all for now I have to offer; yet, not all I know or feel for it, from it, or about it … " poetry, that is." 
 
 
Richard W. Jenkins
©1972


Today, I could offer more, but I can't say I feel any
significantly different now than I did in 1972.
Could be, I just need to grow-up ... LOL!

© 2022 Richard🖌


Author's Note

Richard🖌
As always, constructive critique (and praise) is welcome. : )

Some might or might not agree with this, or you may feel it went too far, did not go far enough, etc; also, I would love to hear your own Take On Poetry and/or where you think my responses in this interview may have gone awry. C'mon, friends, get involved here … I know we all have our own thoughts on poetry many would be interested in, and we might learn something new from each other, too, eh? : D

My Review

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Featured Review

Thank you Richard for sharing your thoughts on writing and poetry.
" Poetry, may then well become but a very weak pursuit for a man and for a woman, but not now, and not in the life and skin in which I live; for, whether all that pours forth from my pen to page comes from some place fanciful or factual, it all originates from something I've lived, learned, dreamed, or deeply and characteristically (almost instinctively) understood within me ... a place as natural as breathing, or the quick, unaware blink of an eye, while the heart beats independently and the soul soars free on its own accord."
I did like the above lines. i dream write and I put to paper later. Some of us, we must write. I believe. We need someone to write down things about the world we lived in. To show the new generation. The struggles and the good days of the past. Thank you for the outstanding work.
Coyote

Posted 1 Year Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Richard🖌

1 Year Ago

Thank you, John 🙏

Always, your keen, insightful ability to express appreciation, p.. read more
Coyote Poetry

1 Year Ago

You are welcome my friend.



Reviews

poetry who could tell what is it..its simply magic
turns simple words and images into unique stories...


Posted 1 Year Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Richard🖌

1 Year Ago

Hey there!
Thanks for reading and commenting.
I agree with your description.
read more
Thank you Richard for sharing your thoughts on writing and poetry.
" Poetry, may then well become but a very weak pursuit for a man and for a woman, but not now, and not in the life and skin in which I live; for, whether all that pours forth from my pen to page comes from some place fanciful or factual, it all originates from something I've lived, learned, dreamed, or deeply and characteristically (almost instinctively) understood within me ... a place as natural as breathing, or the quick, unaware blink of an eye, while the heart beats independently and the soul soars free on its own accord."
I did like the above lines. i dream write and I put to paper later. Some of us, we must write. I believe. We need someone to write down things about the world we lived in. To show the new generation. The struggles and the good days of the past. Thank you for the outstanding work.
Coyote

Posted 1 Year Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Richard🖌

1 Year Ago

Thank you, John 🙏

Always, your keen, insightful ability to express appreciation, p.. read more
Coyote Poetry

1 Year Ago

You are welcome my friend.
A well-reasoned, thoughtful attempt to define the almost undefinable. I wholeheartedly agree with the phrase, "transient in nature". For myself, if asked this question, my response would be...Poetry is whatever one wishes it to be. But, to be done well, it requires a few ingredients: a love of life (which need not always be lovingly described) a love of language, and most importantly an open eye to the world you inhabit. Poets, in my view, are mankind's emotive reporters. When it works, poetry is as filling and as necessary as any meal one can imagine.
Ken e

Posted 1 Year Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Richard🖌

1 Year Ago

Thank you so very much, Ken 🤜✫🤛

For your time spent in reading and sharing yo.. read more
Richard🖌

1 Year Ago

A Free Verse you might enjoy:
"The River, the Clouds, and Us"
https://www.writerscafe... read more
RICHARD, i believe YOU COVERED THE SUBJECT. WELL CONSIDERING YOUR THOUGHTS ON. POETRY. I AGREE WITH MOST OF YOUR RESPONSE! I DO WANT TO ADD THAT I WRITE POETRY TO ALLOW THE PASSION, HURT, LOVE AND GENERALLY ALL FEELINGS TO BE RELEASED AND SHARED WITH OTHERS. HSG😇👍

Posted 1 Year Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Richard🖌

1 Year Ago

Hi, Mary Jo : )

Thanks for reading this review of my take on poetry, for sharing you.. read more
heavenscentgirl1

1 Year Ago

YOU ARE VERY WELCOME, BUT IT’S ALWAYS MY PLEASURE! Your response says Read. more but .. read more
Richard🖌

1 Year Ago

The "Read More" in blue opens fine for me, but I'll message it yo you.
Richard , What a treasure to find this after all that time has past . A real 🎁 gift just like your talent to create and to inspire.


Posted 1 Year Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Richard🖌

1 Year Ago

🤠 Howdy, Ma'am,
It shore is swell ta see ya so bright'n early!
Cherrie Palmer

1 Year Ago

I get up everyday at 4:30 &sleep in on the weekend getting up about 6:30
Richard🖌

1 Year Ago

Every lady deserves her beauty rest 🥀
I think you pretty much expressed what poetry should be, but maybe not what it is. I read a poem just today - Rattle Online - that was written by a man in prison. In the poem one line said something about being told to write what you were afraid to say out loud.
That to me ties in nicely with what Red Smith said about writing, "You just sit down at the typewriter, open a vein, and bleed."
At the same time, poems do not all have to be so insanely deep - daily needs met is enough. The key, I think, is to tap into the universality of man, those things we all have in common. If you can describe that well and in a new light, the detail will bring about the same emotion is someone else.
W.

Posted 1 Year Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Richard🖌

1 Year Ago

Since the site went down and came back up, I've received duplicate messages an, of course, cutting r.. read more
W. Barrett Munn

1 Year Ago

Thanks Richard. Any new writing?
Richard🖌

1 Year Ago

Not new, but new to you. Perhaps, you'd enjoy a little Free Verse piece.
Explaining to a Leaf.. read more
nope I think you got it:) these thoughts bounce in my head all of the time they are the thoughts of all poets at one time or another the more I read and write these themes come into light these universal themes of conduction now I see them in other forms of artistic expression too and I enjoy the common threads found throughout them as well the sympathetic emotion stirred from the process from the many that wrote before us. In truth, I think they must be experienced to be completely understood like a well-crafted bit of verse that clicks in the synapse of your own understanding! what a treasure you shared in this

Posted 2 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Richard🖌

2 Years Ago

G'Mornin', RoBert☀️

A blessing of happiness upon your day, My Fine Friend.
.. read more
'My Take On Poetry' ad review of me)'
Richard,
Yes writing is a way to express the desires that are within us. Your 'summing up' of what is true for you really gave, I am sure much edification to other people which strive to honestly express their 'life force' through words. I think that another word which describes well the need to write is that life is a 'process.' We are all within a process of life....of maturing, changing, ageing....etc. I love your generous nature. Please continue as I feel your voice is a help to many.
Blessings to you.
Kathy

Posted 5 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Richard🖌

5 Years Ago

Ahhh, Sweet Kathy,
How beautifully insightful you always speak, leaving the author rather bre.. read more
Kathy Van Kurin

5 Years Ago

Thanks Mr. Richard, your the best at feeding your reviewers with plenty of rich encouragement. Your .. read more
When a member of your family dies, you sit in the office at a funeral home and read poems and decide which one will go on the back of the memorial card. When you've read the right one, you know it, instantly, and every time you reread that poem, the emotions come back. The poet touched you in a very profound way. It is something you will always treasure.

We are introduced to Nursery Rhymes at a young age. The mini-stories in these rhyming verses set the imagination in motion.

What child doesn't like singing Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer? It brings great joy, and what is it? A poem.

Go into any Hallmark store, or any store that sells greeting cards, and you'll be surrounded by poems, because the perfect poem will leave a lasting impression.







Posted 6 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Richard🖌

6 Years Ago

Karen,
What beautiful sentiments you've shared with us on poetry, and I wholeheartedly agree .. read more
A soul that soars. Unique indeed. Constantly evolving ...like that elusive, beautiful butterfly.. thy words exemplify your being.

Posted 6 Years Ago


1 of 1 people found this review constructive.

Richard🖌

6 Years Ago

Ah, Kitty,
How wonderful of you to look back through my humble offering to come across this r.. read more
kitty

6 Years Ago

I see a person beneath/beyond the words. Thank you for sharing your skills - as always, much respect.. read more
Richard🖌

6 Years Ago

As do I, the lovely person alive from within your own words, Dear Kitty. ; )

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Shelved in 2 Libraries
Added on July 6, 2015
Last Updated on September 1, 2022

Author

Richard🖌
Richard🖌

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