K. Morris's Blog, page 439

What Makes a Good Poem?

A good article entitled “What Makes a Good Poem”. I agree with most of what is written, particularly the below,
“Economy of language: In most cases, if you can express something clearly and fully in a hundred words, you shouldn’t use a thousand. Language that is concise
is more memorable and resonates more deeply than verbiage, which tends to feel messy”.

I have often read a poem and thought that, had it been shorter, the work in question would have possessed greater impact.

To read the art...

50 Soon

50 soon.
The moon
Will wax and wane
As it must.
And the sun will rise and set
On my joy and regret.

Everything will remain
The same.
And the dust
Laughs at my lust

There Was A Young Lady Called Lou

There was a young lady called Lou
Who, at Christmas lost a shoe.
Her mother, Jane
Did bitterly complain
As she lost a stocking too!

There Once Was A Poet Who, At Christmastime

There once was a poet who, at Christmastime
Began to compose a rhyme.
He started drinking at ten
And I don’t know when
He will get round to finishing that rhyme …

There Was A Young Lady Called Holly

There was a young lady called Holly
Who wrote a rhyme far from jolly.
But when a handsome stranger named Mow
Kissed her under the mistletoe
She composed a rhyme most jolly!

When A Drunken Young Man Called Mow

When a drunken young man named Mow
Kissed a girl under the mistletoe
She squealed with delight
And they married next night.
That hasty young couple I know!

A Well Spoken Young Lady Called Holly

A well spoken young lady called Holly
Is fond of saying “gosh” and “golly”.
She married a man
(His name was Dan).
They met while pruning holly!

‘Solitude’: A Poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

A close friend thinks little of this poem. However it speaks to me.

Interesting Literature

Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850-1919) has often been ridiculed – she features in Nicholas T. Parsons’ The Joy of Bad Verse – but even her detractors have to admit that ‘Solitude’ succeeds, and certainly remains successful as a piece of poetry about solitude. Anthony Burgess memorably rewrote the poem’s opening two lines as ‘Laugh and the world laughs with you, snore and you sleep alone.’

Solitude

Laugh, and...

Her Heels Remain Sharp

Her heels remain
Sharp
But it gives her pain
That although she does retain
The desire
She no longer has the art
To spark
Fire
In a young man’s heart.

Blank

Perfume lingers
On a sheet
Where cold fingers
Did trace
A girl’s blank
Face.

He said, “thankyou”
As he was wont to do.
Then she was gone
Though her scent lingers
On the sheet
Where cold fingers
Did trace
Her expressionless face.