**A long and boring story about who I am** (not a poem)
I thought I might take a bit of time to talk about who I am and why I do this. Well basically, I'm a college student who occasionally has free time. I'm an Asian studies major. I hated poetry growing up, but perhaps time changes everyone and now I only dislike it.
My first horrible memory of poetry was in 4th grade, where one of my teachers told us to 'write a poem' about some average 4th grade text. "Poem?" my mind asked. I really didn't know what the word meant, and I've always hated the idea of rhyme in practically anything: songs, stories, commercials among others.
There are certain uses for it, but to me, poetry should exhibit a "lifelike spontaneity"... it shouldn't feel at all forced. Thus rhyme should not be regimented repetition, but should fit a logical flow of usage in context. A good rhyme is effective in certain places, to be sure, but every line? Something about the idea just seemed unoriginal.
Similarly, the rhyming poem was too often being controlled by the rhyme rather than the idea. Even in the instances where it is obviously not, or perhaps transcendent of such rule, I've always thought that the reader too often will overanalyze and believe more in accordance to this rule, 'reading into' a rhyme or choice word. Though I tip my hat to those poets who can weave a beautiful tale with fitting rhyme. If you can do it well, then it truly adds to a written work.
Regardless, my poetry homework that evening must have turned out awful. My teacher stared at me when I tried to read it, and wrote "this is not a poem!!!" in dark red ink after I turned it in. So much for poetry, I thought at that point. Thankfully, I didn't care; I truly felt that whatever I had written was a poem. Someone had once told me that "a poem can be anything", so I stuck to that maxim at the most literal sense (foolish, I know). And I do to this day. I try to write poetry in a style that exhibits flow but doesn't necessarily fit a scheme or pattern.
If you don't like it, tell me why! If you do, then tell me what you like. I'm here to learn, and that's exactly why I'm posting my work. I want to improve!
Lord Saito
My first horrible memory of poetry was in 4th grade, where one of my teachers told us to 'write a poem' about some average 4th grade text. "Poem?" my mind asked. I really didn't know what the word meant, and I've always hated the idea of rhyme in practically anything: songs, stories, commercials among others.
There are certain uses for it, but to me, poetry should exhibit a "lifelike spontaneity"... it shouldn't feel at all forced. Thus rhyme should not be regimented repetition, but should fit a logical flow of usage in context. A good rhyme is effective in certain places, to be sure, but every line? Something about the idea just seemed unoriginal.
Similarly, the rhyming poem was too often being controlled by the rhyme rather than the idea. Even in the instances where it is obviously not, or perhaps transcendent of such rule, I've always thought that the reader too often will overanalyze and believe more in accordance to this rule, 'reading into' a rhyme or choice word. Though I tip my hat to those poets who can weave a beautiful tale with fitting rhyme. If you can do it well, then it truly adds to a written work.
Regardless, my poetry homework that evening must have turned out awful. My teacher stared at me when I tried to read it, and wrote "this is not a poem!!!" in dark red ink after I turned it in. So much for poetry, I thought at that point. Thankfully, I didn't care; I truly felt that whatever I had written was a poem. Someone had once told me that "a poem can be anything", so I stuck to that maxim at the most literal sense (foolish, I know). And I do to this day. I try to write poetry in a style that exhibits flow but doesn't necessarily fit a scheme or pattern.
If you don't like it, tell me why! If you do, then tell me what you like. I'm here to learn, and that's exactly why I'm posting my work. I want to improve!
Lord Saito
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