People who inspire you

[Twat]

Hello

Just signed up here today after reading alot of great poems. I was wondering; who are the people standing as influences behind your lyrical endeavors?

Myself, although a mere apprentice of poetry, love the litterature, poems and songs written by Dante, John Cooper Clarke, Strindberg and Alex Turner. But i'm aching to broaden the horizon.

Who inspires you?

[billy]

people like leanne, an english professor on one of the 1st poetry sites i frequented his name was stephen morse. while i like to read, i'm not sure i've been ispired, that said i did a ann sexton homage and a couple of other to some poets. i am inspired when i see a newb poet who's churning out rubbish, begin to churn out better stuff. see them improve is a real inspiration.

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we have load of poets in different section that you can read or listen to for inspiration.

[Blake]

When I was a child I read alot of Jack Prelutsky, but these days I am in love with the poetry of Robert E Howard. Especially the few poems he wrote for Solomon Kane.

[Leanne]

Oscar Wilde, Philip Larkin, Alan Ginsberg, Dorothy Parker, W.H. Auden -- pretty much anyone who's shown a middle finger to the Establishment, but with elegance of course

[FancifulDreamer]

To be perfectly honest, I hadn't read or written any poetry when I started writing poem. I like Edgar Allan Poe and Shakespeare (sometimes).
I just write poetry because it feels good.

[Leanne]

To be perfectly honest, I hadn't read or written any poetry when I started writing poem.

A lot of people are like that -- I'm sure that's changed! Reading other people's poetry -- especially the greats, since they provide the finest examples -- is the best (some would say only) way to learn.

[rayheinrich]

George Oppen and Ogden Nash

Ogden Nash:

__My Dream__

This is my dream,
It is my own dream,
I dreamt it.
I dreamt that my hair was kempt.
Then I dreamt that my true love unkempt it.


__Reflection On The Fallibility Of Nemesis__

He who is ridden by a conscience
Worries about a lot of nonscience;
He without benefit of scruples
His fun and income soon quadruples.



--------------------------------------------------------
George Oppen


__STREET__

Ah these are the poor,
These are the poor–

Bergen street.

Humiliation
Hardship . . .

Nor are they very good to each other;
It is not that. I want

An end of poverty
As much as anyone

For the sake of intelligence,
'The conquest of existence'–

It has been said, and is true–

And this is real pain,
Moreover. It is terrible to see the children,

The righteous little girls;
So good, they expect to be so good . . .

[tomoffing]

To be perfectly honest, I hadn't read or written any poetry when I started writing poem.

A lot of people are like that -- I'm sure that's changed! Reading other people's poetry -- especially the greats, since they provide the finest examples -- is the best (some would say only) way to learn.

Without doubt the cornerstone of improvement, although it rarely feels like any is evident.
I must admit I find it intimidating at times. Nothing dashes confidence like hearing what occurred to you as a faintly novel or original thought spoken more succinctly and with greater depth than you could ever hope to imagine!

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Being from the same neck of the woods, the northern Irish poets are favorites (Heaney, Mahon, Kavanagh et al.)
Antartica by Derek Mahon in fact is probably the work that inspires me.

Big John Cooper Clarke fan too, Twat is one of the funniest poems written imo

[Wjames]

Bob Dylan inspired me to start reading and writing poetry.

Elliott Smith inspired me to start playing music.

Andy Kaufman helped me to worry about what I like in art - not what I think everyone else wants/likes.

As a kid my favourite book was always "The Wind in the Willows" by Kenneth Grahame, which may also have spurred my interest in writing as well.

I still haven't read that much poetry, I ought to, but I never seem to have the time.

[Truerenigma]

hmmm... inspiration? Quentin Tarantino, Jessica Alba, that chick in Million Dollar Baby, Pocahontas, Oprah Winfrey...the list goes on...

[shemthepenman]

This is an interesting question. I think it has been asked here before at some point... I probably gave a different answer then. Two answers, though... 1. Dylan Thomas, and I have said this before and it is all very profound and yeah yeah yeah... But there was and still is (for me) something astonishing about his poetry. 2. Jim Morrison. I know, not so unusual, a bit of a cliche now days. And not that morrison's poetry is that good or anything. But I suppose Thomas inspired me to try to write poetry (with intimidation), and then I read morrison's poetry and thought 'fucking hell, I could do that!'
I think all of my creative endeavours have had this duality of inspiration. With painting, I look at a Francis Bacon and am in awe, but then I love billy childish's paintings because again I think 'I could do that'. Of course this is an oversimplification (not least because billy childish is an incredibly good painter, and I sound like I am belittling him in some way. I am not).

[NobodyNothing]

Interesting think-point. Who inspires me? Too many to name, both in the public and personal sphere. Same for poets and specific poems.

But, upon further thought, I was very struck/influenced by these poets/wordsmiths, by something quite particular in their work, something that became personally significant to me, stuck with me ever since...

--The Shakespearean soliloquy. It's performance poetry at its best. You can actually see/hear consciousness begetting consciousness in the most illuminating, dramatic, and eloquent of ways. I can't escape the idea of the soliloquy.

--Rilke's Duino Elegies. But more for the mesmeric tone/quality of them than anything else. He had a way of poetic expression that made you feel as if he was speaking to you and nobody else. At least to me, that is.

--Whitman's enlargening and mythologizing of the self. Kind of that "the kingdom of heaven is within you" thing. You are everything, of the same substance of all from the beginning to the end of time.

--Dante's Divine Comedy. The ultimate poetic schemer. That idea of the poet as the cartographer of the soul. I'm into that Gnostic/Kabbalahistic notion of the fallen and shattered god, of putting Humpty-Dumpty back together again.

--Yeats. Just cause. (Yes, I kissed his gravestone lol)

[L Oquence]

Shakespeare really is my favourite poet, I don't reach MUCH poetry, but him and lord Byron are my two favourites.

What really inspired me to begin writing at all was the really lyrical rappers. I believe in some ways, with its rhythm, and strict adherence to rhyme. Rap is a modern interpretation of oral poetry. (However when I hear songs like "laffy taffy" and anything Soulja Boy has created I wonder.) But on the whole, there are some really lyrical rappers. One song that really made me sit and go "Okay lets take the next step and write poetry." was this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY-Q8oPzOhA

[Leanne]

Yes, rap is poetry -- but, as you point out, it's not always good poetry

Meter, rhyme and the oral tradition are still well and truly alive. It's just a shame they're most commonly degraded to popping caps in various asses and so forth. The Romans, Martial especially, were masters of the poetic smackdown (although Byron was definitely no slouch in that regard). Rap, hiphop and spoken word would all be greatly improved if only the artists would learn the basics of what they're trying to do -- natural ability and a good ear are great starting points, but technique always improves when you understand the skills you're using (or trying to use) instinctively.

You know that a music/spoken word artist is a true poet when you can take away the performance element and the words still come alive.

[L Oquence]

Yes, rap is poetry -- but, as you point out, it's not always good poetry

Meter, rhyme and the oral tradition are still well and truly alive. It's just a shame they're most commonly degraded to popping caps in various asses and so forth. The Romans, Martial especially, were masters of the poetic smackdown (although Byron was definitely no slouch in that regard). Rap, hiphop and spoken word would all be greatly improved if only the artists would learn the basics of what they're trying to do -- natural ability and a good ear are great starting points, but technique always improves when you understand the skills you're using (or trying to use) instinctively.

You know that a music/spoken word artist is a true poet when you can take away the performance element and the words still come alive.

I'm trying to go both ways, I've learned more about musical elements the past few years. And I want to learn as much as I can about poetry now, I want to really try and create a synthesis of the written and oral with my work.

But yes, there are a few artist that honestly just reading their words I get so wowed. No one got nothin' on my boy Shakespeare though.

[Leanne]

He wasn't shite.

Natural-sounding speech is the key. Even though Shakespeare thee'd and thou'd all over the shop, you can still fit it into normal speaking patterns and that ought to be the goal for most poets. If it's artificial, it tends to make people laugh. Good if you're a comedian, bad if you're talking about your dead dog.

[L Oquence]

He wasn't shite.

Natural-sounding speech is the key. Even though Shakespeare thee'd and thou'd all over the shop, you can still fit it into normal speaking patterns and that ought to be the goal for most poets. If it's artificial, it tends to make people laugh. Good if you're a comedian, bad if you're talking about your dead dog.

I don't want to derail this topic too much.. but the last thing I have to say. I've only be here a day and I've already picked up so much advice. It's great

[Leanne]

Be careful. Hanging around poets, advice is the least dangerous of things you could pick up

Anyway, back to regular programming...

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For excellent control of triple feet with wonderful changes of speed, mood and tone, I always think it's hard to beat Hilaire Belloc.