"A poem is never finished, only abandoned." - Paul Valery.

Friends, Romans, bloggers, lend me your ears.

This week I have been indulging in a little bit of that art often associated with tortured souls and prancing delicate flowers, the art of poetry. I really dislike this view of poetry as a medium of art restricted to a high-brow clientèle, because of the few poems they were forced to read in school. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of fantastic older poetry out there (my favourite is good old William Blake, who most definitely wasn't insane because he had visions of angels), but a lot of the time it's the only thing taught in schools because "it's something you have to learn".

Now obviously I realise there are plenty of young and working class poets and all sorts of others, and that's fantastic. But let's be honest, it is a very niche art form. A lot of people I speak to see poetry as something out of their grasp, restricted to men and women draped across a chez lounge feeling all forlorn because nobody understands them.

Wikimedia

"I'm so troubled, darling. Didn't you know?"

But then, if I tried to define poetry right now, I'd be attempting to settle a debate that has been going on between poets, writers and academics since before the X-Factor first graced our screens. Even I, with my inflated ego and engorged sense of self-importance would not try to reconcile decades of arguments into a single, definitive idea.

I totally kept a straight face! Don't worry, I was only joking. I'll take a crack at it, but this is obviously a very broad, sweeping statement, so literary hounds, please don't track me down and kill my cat: poetry is a form of art which condenses an idea into several well chosen words, often arranged in lines and generally used as a way to express something.

Very broad and sweeping, but then the day we arrive at a scientifically accurate definition for art it is no longer art.

What this means is that you, the reader, your neighbour and even his elderly mother can enjoy poetry. There's some for everyone! Really, there's loads of fantastic stuff out there, and because it's such a versatile form there's so much variety.

To give you an example (and make it relevant) I've been delving into a book of poetry by an American man named Mark Bibbins. It's called The Dance of No Hard Feelings, and I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone. I came across it last year while studying a module on contemporary poetry, through a poem called 'The Devil You Don't', which is easily my favourite on the collection.

http://www.markbibbins.com/

'That which doesn't kill us / is merely waiting; / it will.'

There's something about Bibbins that I really like. Other than clearly being a fantastic writer (in my opinion at least), his use of imagery and language in general is very interesting. Featuring lines such as 'He turns angels / into the same fire that melts / the guts off the earth' (from 'The Devil You Don't') you can't help but notice imagery that jumps out at you, and being lured in by that which is more subtle. There's just something about the way Bibbins arranges words together that I just love.

Also, his sense of humour seems pretty in line with my own. While still sensitive in several poems, he is a very witty poet and many of the poems feature his sense of dry, sardonic humour. It's quite subtle, but I think the best humour is often that way, and we enjoy it all the more. He often uses it to touch on issues of modern concern, but again not in an overt way; rather, the tone permeates through the lines and we are allowed to enjoy it as part of the poem, not as its sole purpose. A bit different to the nature of my own writing, I realise, but I'm still funny anyway...right?

This leads me to one final point I want to make, and that's the argument of art for art's sake. To avoid stirring up more arguments and centuries of history and art theory, it's basically a Victorian idea that art doesn't have to have a purpose, it can be enjoyed purely as art itself. Personally I can't say I'm a fan of it entirely; while I commend that it encourages people to enjoy and create art without worrying what it signifies, I think the very nature of art in its ability to make people feel and be inspired can be a purpose. Don't get me wrong, it shouldn't be forced, and it can be something very simple, but as George Sand once said, "Art for art's sake is an empty phrase". That's my feelings on it anyway, who am I to judge?

I'll leave you with a video of Mark Bibbins reading a couple of his poems, partly to encourage you to read more poems (particularly his!), and partly to underline my point about the sense of humour. I think it comes across a lot better when read - but then the same could be said of all poetry!

 

I hope you enjoyed it, and I'll leave you with a little fact: in 1933 seashells were officially abolished as currency in Papua New Guinea. So much for the riches of the ocean.

~ Toby