From the Fiction Desk

I am an accidental poet. I learned how to write poetry as part of the normal all encompassing English classes in grade and high school and by paying attention to poets and song writers. When I was young, I didn’t take my poetry seriously. It was not until I was prodded and poked by some fellow writers to give it the attention it deserves. Because of this background, maybe I didn’t learn the mistakes that I hear at some open mics around St. Louis. Poetry, no matter its cause—no matter its structure—should be like a story in the sense of a theme and painting a portrait of an image or an emotion that has an opening, a middle, and a closing.

I do not know what is taught in colleges or universities about poetry, but I hear the mistakes mostly from “angry poets” who are still in school or have just graduated. Thankfully this is not the case with all poets or all such angry poets in the same boat. I have heard some of the most beautiful poetry from those who are still in high school and college whose pictures or emotions rival the great masters. I will also acknowledge that what we learn from a lesson or a class is solely the response of the learner more than the material that is taught.

What I hear that falls flat is the “shout at the world and let the words just flow, regardless if there is a connection between lines and stanzas.” These poems are often quickly forgotten as noise or are discussed as “can you believe that was poetry” type remarks. The image does not last, except as an irritation that fades quickly in time. The theme that the poet has poured their heart into dies stillborn in the listeners mind. While the good poet takes time to craft the stanzas and the lines to form the image. They keep the poem focused and express the theme powerfully without the shouting angrily at the world on because the world exists. The image that is painted sticks with the reader/listener as the poem ends and the poet moves on to another piece. It is talked about over coffee or other drinks the next day and the idea behind it is examined.

This blog entry may sound like I am setting myself up as an expert. I am no such thing. I am an accidental poet who listens and reads and discusses with the general public as well as fellow writers as to what works and why. I apply my fiction writing style to my poems, keeping the poem composed like a scene or a flash of an image. Not everything I write would be considered good, nor pleasing to the reader/listener. It is from my experiences and from those who sit and listen to the poems that are heard that I glean my stance that poetry and fiction writing have much in common that can be missed or forgotten by the anxious poet who wants to jump up to the mic.

Thank you for reading and please visit www.davidalanlucas.com for information on the blogs, stories, poems, and articles I write.