Poetry and the Masses

[Truerenigma]

I agree entirely regarding TV, movies, games, etc. It seems more and more kids, from an early age, aren't introduced to poetry, not even in nursery rhyme form. I suspect TV began putting paid to the notion of bedside stories and children's poetry.

But I don't consider an understandable poem to be boring. Do you find Mary Oliver's works boring? Or those of Billy Collins? Or Seamus Heaney? Or Robert Frost? Their poems work on different levels - the effects and nuances unfold the more often one reads them. But a first-time reader of Frost's 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening' would at first recognise the basic story (the guy's in a horse-drawn carriage, on someone's private property, it's cold, dark, he's tired, and still has a long way to go before he gets home), and possibly relate to it, even be carried away by its inherent rhythm. Digging deeper, he/she would go into the symbolic possibilities in the poem, and so on.

The kind of poems I refer to as being unintelligible are ones that are convoluted, pretentious, and basically little more than purple prose - i.e. bad poetry. Or - not to put too fine a point on it - wankery. The writer might think he knows what he wants to say, but hasn't learned how to communicate it effectively.

Donna

What he means is a large number of people find all poetry boring and don't give a shit how simple or complex it is if it ain't got button to push or moving pictures to look at. Hell, many people complain about movies that come with words on the screen, which makes them have to read, an inexcusable offense. What do you think they are looking for, more schooling?