From the Fiction Desk

Poetry and story writing may not appear on the surface to share that much in common. The truth is that they share a lot in common. Our earliest stories, be that of the bible, the Iliad and the Odyssey, the Tale of Genji, or the legends of Hiawatha, Beowulf, tales of Charlemagne and other great heroes in every culture had been formed and told in poetry. Poetry makes the story easier to remember, to share it with those future generations. In some stories, the poetry may not be so easy to see and in others the words may not be so easy to understand at first as their meaning may have changed over the centuries—and yet they endure the test of time. The “Word Dance” of poetry helps create the stories and hold it together. It also helps to form the framework that makes it memorable.

In the word dancing of poetry, the rhythm of the words give the story a symmetry that keeps the pulse of the story beating and helps create the tension and release of suspense. If you question how this is possible, try listening to your favorite movie or TV episode. Don’t look at the screen. Just listen to the dialogue and even the special effects (thinking any booms or car noises or whatever as words). Give it a try.

The use of poetry to tell stories in modern day continues in our music, our books, and even in our television and movies. It helps give the dialogue and the action of the tale a semblance of memory and allows us to dissect it when thinking back to it or even retelling the story. Try not to let your mind and your creativity dance to the beat of the words that you hear or read and you will find it quite impossible.

Thank you for reading and please visit www.davidalanlucas.com for updates to my blogs, articles, stories, and poems I write.