Poetic Form

(Picture is Clipart "Computer User")

Have just posted a comment on the Poemhunter Forum but it has vanished. It roughly ran: “How is a stanza different from a paragraph? Ignoring the two sentence rule etc., both are essentially blocks of writing.

A verse is merely a line of writing in which the writer decides the length of line, traditionally by counting syllables. Poetry may be written in any form, including verse, prose or ‘concrete’.”

Right now I am typing in prose form. “Microsoft Word” is putting the words in 

THERE (!) – a new line – lines for me. To go onto verses I

Simply press “Return” and

Start a new line. 

I prefer to start each “verse” with a capital letter.

That’s my choice.

Some websites of course “scrunch” all the verses together into prose form. When that happens, you can see what is lost. Length of line matters. A short line like

This

Is very dramatic or sharp.

Lines of many syllables provide a more serious, thoughtful, formal tone.

Look at Madonna’s “Vogue”:

“"Vogue"

Strike a pose
Strike a pose
Vogue, vogue, vogue
Vogue, vogue, vogue

Look around everywhere you turn is heartache
It's everywhere that you go (look around)
You try everything you can to escape
The pain of life that you know (life that you know)”

Contrast line 4 (3 syllables) with line 5 (12)!

Have seen some really “rappy” lyrics with up to 16 syllables.

Just increase your lines from 8 to 10 syllables and you move from more emotional (or funny) verse to formal, “grand” writing. Of course, that’s where “metre” becomes an issue, but that’s another story.

Personally I like to vary the length of line. I’m all for flouting those old rules and being free.

But that’s me.

Paul Butters

PS My original query eventually appeared on that forum and was "answered". I was advised to read a "stanza" then a "paragraph” aloud to tell the difference. My point is, they are still both blocks of words whether poetic or not.

Update (15\6\14) - My latest effort - http://hellopoetry.com/poem/747860/remember/