WHY I DON'T LIKE CENTERING MY POETRY

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Nominated as one of the BEST POETS (current or in the past) on World Poetry Day, 21 March 2013 - in Dazed & Confused Magazine.

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Included in: My poem, ON THE OCEAN WAVES
International Who's Who in Poetry 2012
Library of Congress ISBN- 978-1-61936-035-8

My poem, The African Man, featured twice during 2012 in the eMagazine, Afritorial

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Most Recent Blog Post

WHY I DON'T LIKE CENTERING MY POETRY

Blog Posted:12/8/2012 11:27:00 AM

Research has found that we scan a page in an “F” formation. If the opening statement does not engage your interest, you are most likely to move onto the next tit-bit of news. That is one of the reasons why social websites are so popular. Think of the newspaper headlines and where your eyes wonder on the page as you scan for the main news items. Advertisers are aware of this and they place their adverts on pages where it will enjoy the most attention.

Furthermore, when you center a poem, it becomes difficult to read as your eyes have to travel back to the start of the following line and it is not a natural tracking instinct, especially if the lines are unusually uneven.

I, therefore, kindly ask you NOT to center your SUZETTE PRIME poems. Thank you.

THE FISH EAGLE

master of the river calling to his mate
I lift my face to the early morning sun
just in time to see him swoop
extending talons
scooping fish
bearing it aloft
he settles
on an overhanging branch
and savours his catch of the morning – ripping
all’s right with the world – the fish eagle and I

OR - to illustrate the difference in the reading experience:

THE FISH EAGLE

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Ruben O.

Date: 12/11/2012 1:26:00 AM

Hello, Suzette! Im with you in this one! I think that the left aligned poems are more aesthetically pleasing. I use to centered the poems in the middle of the page BUT left-aligned. Wait a minute!!! Am I dyslexic?? Merry Christmas, Suzette! (...and be careful with the South African Santa in thong!) Ruben.

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DebbieGuzzi

Date: 12/10/2012 3:04:00 PM

Suz the lines must be written in a per line syllable count of PRIME numbers only YES? BUT do the y have to be ordered say 2,3,5,7,11,13 or can they be mixed up 5,11,2,13,7 etc? Please soup mail me as well as answering here. I tried i don't know if I did it correctly but i tried for you.

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Suzette Crous

Date: 12/10/2012 12:56:00 AM

I have read about this matter recently in a report posted by Yahoo (a trusted website). But this is not new, as can be seen in the following link: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html

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Suzette Crous Date: 12/10/2012 5:34:00 AM

I do write other items besides poetry - listed in my Biography here on soup :-)

Chris D.Aechtner

Date: 12/9/2012 10:09:00 PM

I find this topic interesting and pertinent. I suppose it might simply be your dyslexia? Without having considered something such as dyslexia, I always thought 'F-formation scanning' to be linked with Artificial Intelligence Optical Scanning(A.I. scans a line, jumps back to the left(sometimes right), then tackles the next line). I don't seem to jump back to the left when reading a centered poem; the poem reads smoothly, as I naturally 'tumble' down the lines when reading. I think with advertising, it is more to do with subliminal, and subconscious scanning? I might look into this 'F-formation scanning more deeply. Some poems/forms aren't meant to be centered, but all in all, I think centering poems is a great device for so many different reasons.

Suzette Crous Date: 12/10/2012 12:39:00 AM

Thank you for joining the discussion, Chris. You make some good points here. By the comments here, I can see that I am differently "wired" than most. It is not a case of preference for me, but an actual disability.

Suzette Crous Date: 12/10/2012 12:39:00 AM

BTW My daughter, also, had problems reading, until she attended Leeds Uni - where one of the teachers identified her problem: She cannot read black on white and has to use a pink color screen for text. A friend of mine's daughter has to use a blue screen. So, it seems people see things differently.

Chris D. Aechtner Date: 12/9/2012 10:14:00 PM

Yeah, when reading the centered version of your poem, I actually find it easier to read than the left-aligned version; especially the four short lines in the middle of your poem.

DebbieGuzzi

Date: 12/9/2012 5:41:00 PM

Got to tell you each line has more impact for me centered especially when the form doesn't lend itself to complete sentences BUT you're the Judge! HUGS

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Suzette Crous Date: 12/10/2012 12:30:00 AM

Thank you, Debbie :-)

PhyllisBabcock

Date: 12/9/2012 12:30:00 PM

It does not matter to me as to whether it is centered or not. I sometimes center my poems to make them look more artistic but all in all a good poem is a good poem. love phyl

Suzette Crous Date: 12/9/2012 1:50:00 PM

Yes, content is important - as long as I can read it without difficulty. I have written many poems (some very difficult poetry forms) which must be centered for the full effect to be appreciated. I might post some of them in the future, but for now I do prefer flush left for the contest - it is easier for me to read. Hope you had a great weekend. Love, Su

Suzette Crous

Date: 12/8/2012 10:32:00 PM

Thank you for the feedback. I appreciate your opinions on this matter. I have given it some thought and came up with the conclusion that to generalize is not a good thing. Maybe this all hangs together with the dyslexia and this is the main reason why I find centered poems difficult to read. Love, Su :-)

Suzette Crous Date: 12/9/2012 7:33:00 AM

Yes, that is true, Charlotte :-)

Charlotte Puddifoot Date: 12/9/2012 5:24:00 AM

that's really interesting and kind of confirms what I was saying below, that we all peruse things in different ways and how the brain decodes what the eye is seeing depends on a person's particular brain chemistry...if people enter your contests then it is only courtesy for them to format their poem in a way that you feel comfortable absorbing - they can always change them again afterwards! :)

FrancineRoberts

Date: 12/8/2012 9:55:00 PM

I don't "skim" poems when I read so it doesn't matter if they are centered or not to me, They are usually read aloud, like Jimbo does, and their format is not important other than to be pleasing to the eye. I have centered several of mine, and I really don't think centered poems are any more difficult to read than others, but its your contest, your rules, since that is what you find easier on the eye, if you have not also posted that on the contest page you may wish to do so, not all entrants read the blog updates unfortunately

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Suzette Crous Date: 12/8/2012 10:28:00 PM

Yes, I have made it part of the rules of the contest from the onset.

CharlottePuddifoot

Date: 12/8/2012 3:22:00 PM

that's if you believe the research which I don't because I've tested it out for myself on several occasions; how people peruse things varies from person to person and I know I don't scan things in an F formation, but then, my brain has always worked differently to the majority! lol with my own poems I can usually see immediately which ones benefit from centering and which ones don't - acrostics definitely don't, for the reason andrea gives below, but in general very short pieces nearly always look better when centered on the page...

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Poet DestroyerA

Date: 12/8/2012 2:45:00 PM

Yes...very confusing..pd

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kelechiEmeaba

Date: 12/8/2012 2:02:00 PM

I love it when properly structured.

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SaraKendrick

Date: 12/8/2012 1:11:00 PM

I like the centered work best..I use my mouse as a guide when I read anyway..When one has a contest, they have the right to ask any format or form or whatever they want..Interesting information...Sara

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AndreaDietrich

Date: 12/8/2012 12:25:00 PM

I like them both. For me it makes no difference if a poem is centered or not. one that definitely cannot be centered is acrostic. when you read the first letters of each line, it doesn't spell out the title!!!

Suzette Crous Date: 12/8/2012 12:59:00 PM

:-) We all differ in our preferences. I find centering difficult to read and find it strange when someone centers a tanka for example. I'm just "old school". Hope you are having a good weekend, Andrea. Love, Su PS I saw an acrostic poem which had a "code" written in slant in each line.... very cunning :-)

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