Poetry

Poetry is where the artistic is as important as the declarative in your writing. For some people it is the only way to really express themselves; for others it is scary. (Special Note: remember that poetry, like most creative work, is very personal, and it is important to ensure that your advisor understands what you are doing if you want him/her to look at it in an academic light.) Here is a nice long piece on poetry in the Portfolio from the 1991 Handbook of Inspiration (or skip to the workbook points):

POETRY by Jessica
Note:  I'm speaking of modern poetry rather than more structured forms.

	What is it about poetry that intimidates me?  I guess I'm 
afraid to write it because I don't know what it is, and if I don't 
know what it is, how can I possibly write anything good?  Of course 
if I use that argument then I won't write anything except factual 
research papers, because once you get into more creative forms of 
writing there are no rules...you're on your own.  I find this lack of 
structure a little frightening (how can I write well?  I need someone 
to give me a clear set of instructions!) but for the most part it's 
freeing because I can write anything I want, however I want.  I like 
that.
	Poetry is even less structured than other forms of creative 
writing.  You don't have to write complete sentences or anything!  
Instead of making it easier, this lack of structure holds me back.  
I know how to write a sentence, but how does one write poetry?  It 
seems separate from me-- something writer-artists do, not me...  my 
mind tells me I don't have the talent.  It says poetry takes talent, 
creativity, whereas anyone can write prose.
	In obvious need of some guidelines I start to think of my 
own.  Poetry should come from within I think, like art.  Now that's 
really scary!  My within is getting embarrassed at the thought!  What 
if I don't come up with anything new or profound?  What if the poetry 
I write is cliche and corny?  People will think that's coming from 
within and draw the conclusion that I am not only a poor writer, but 
also a shallow person.  For me poetry is very personal.  Anything that 
isn't necessary is left out; all the trimmings, explanations and 
connecting phrases that make a polished piece of prose are cut, 
leaving a raw arrangement of words which will hopefully pack a punch.  
What if it doesn't though?  What if I want to write about day to day 
things, but just don't want to put them in sentence form?  Is that 
poetry?  This semester I have started experimenting with this.  I 
want to give words or small groups of words an entire line to 
themselves so that people will read them more slowly and, I hope, 
will be encouraged to think about them and let them sink in.  I don't 
want people to hurry through sentence after sentence, but rather to 
linger, and savour the words and what they mean.  If I have had a 
great insight that I want to write down and share, I tend to narrow 
it down, compacting it into one very ordinary-looking sentence, which 
could easily be brushed over without provoking any thoughts ar all. I 
can expand on the idea and explain and go on and on about it, but 
that will be wordy, and will be saying the same thing in different 
ways, using examples, etc.  Sometimes I do that, but sometimes I 
don't have the motivation or interest, and don't want to waste words 
or paper.  Our society is big on wasting words, something I was never 
good at.  Small-talk, socializing, putting people at ease by always 
filling up the silences (filling up the page).  I didn't have the 
skills or the desire-- what was the point?  When I was small, and 
someone (invariably, an adult) asked me a question I deemed as stupid 
or unworthy of my time or voice, I simply wouldn't reply, which made 
them squirm.  I remember many one-sided conversations I simply didn't 
see any point in taking part in.
	Poetry is communication without waste.  It is to the point, 
and should be full.  Full of emotions, images and ideas rather than 
words.  This also worries me; when I write using a poetic format is 
it full?  What am I communicating???  This is ALWAYS a big question 
regardless of what I write.  How is the reader receiving this? Am I 
getting my point across?  In an effective way?  Do I even know what 
point I am trying to make?!  Are the images sometimes so personal 
that others can't relate to them?  When I do let the words flow from 
"within" they sometimes come out in a blur that doesn't even make 
sense to me.
	When I write poetry I feel much more vulnerable and exposed 
than I do with prose writing.  The writing itself is much more 
personal and I never know if I'm doing it right.  I am trying to 
convince myself that there is no RIGHT, but I can't manage to delude 
myself that because there is no right there is also no good poetry 
and bad poetry-- and if I don't really know what poetry is how can I 
know if it is good or bad?  I suppose that is actually a cop-out.  
Knowing what poetry is won't change whether I like something I or 
anyone else has written.  My reaction will be the same; I will just 
have a frame to help me evaluate or neatly label my reactions and 
file them away.  Anyhow, I suppose I so know what poetry is, as much 
as anyone does; it just happens to be one of those undefinable things 
that can't be put into boxes-- like art, or love.
	This has been an essay full of doubts and meanderings.  Did I 
answer any of my questions or just ask more?  Even just asking the 
questions has helped me explore what poetry means to me, and why I 
have such a hard time writing it, and an even harder time sharing it 
with people when I do write.  By defining it more solidly for myself, 
and by continually reassuting myself that anything is fine whether 
I call it poetry or not, I have made it a little easier for myself.

your life is poetry
Celebrate!!!

Workshop Discussion Sparks

On the relation of artistic and informative contents of a Portfolio to the various levels of learning that go on in the various levels of a person

Inspired and Creative

Go on, write an epic! Set it to music.

Rigorous Training

There are lots of different kinds of poetry. Look at some, and try your hand at different styles, both structured and unstructured, formal and free.
There is a poem in the section on OBSERVATION (F.6), demonstrating how overheard conversation could lead to a poem (almost collage-like).
Although many of the questions in the essay above are sort of rhetorical, many are worth considering seriously: how is your poetry saying what you mean? How does it communicate? How is it beautiful?

AAAAAGGGHHHH!

Like everything else artistic, poetry can be an elusive and frustrating thing to force yourself to do. Make sure your expectations are fair.