Walt Whitman thought that the poetry
Of America should be free
Of any European influence.
So, in "Leaves of Grass," the rather lenghty diatribe, that the poet continously revised throughout the remainder of his life because he felt it wasn't perfect and needed to be that way, is all free verse.
This revision of the traditional rules of poetry opens the door
To finding one's own rhythm, rather than the structured rhyme.
Whitman goes on and on about how this is the perfect expression of democracy, as did that Thoreau guy.
(Can you tell that I'm just not a big fan of either?)
So much for the conventions of poetry, as we all march to that proverbial beat of a "different drummer."
Of course, it does open the door for Williams, Roethke, Stein and Plath, among others.
More than just a disjointed paragraph, how does this poem look, feel, and sound to you?

03/13/2006

Posted on 03/14/2006
Copyright © 2024 Joe Cramer