Mindset—Image generated by Suzette Richards 25 April 2023
Magis Of The Orient
Magis Sent from East
With presents on hand
Wishing, walking with glued hand
By land traveled from Orient far
Praying, bowing before the mightiest Star
Never before in a lifetime…
AI-generated this BS at my request, dated 5 June 2024, for an example of a Suzette Prime poem. It cited Suzette Prime poems posted at PoetrySoup as its reference, and I checked the sample poems listed. I am horrified!
First off, Suzette Prime is a Syllabic Verse and therefore, has no rhyme or metre: hand/hand, and far/Star.
Prime numbers are: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23 … Therefore, the following lines are incorrect.
- By land traveled from Orient far (9 syllables)
- Never before in a lifetime (8 syllables)
Suzette Prime instructs poets not to use capital letters (except in the case of proper nouns). Therefore ‘Sent’ and ‘Star’, as well as ALL the capitalisation of the first letters in the lines are incorrect.
Suzette Prime instructs poets not to use punctuation, as the line breaks serve this purpose. Therefore, the commas in lines 3 and 5, as well as the ellipsis at the end of line 6, are all incorrect.
[Edit, dd 18/6/2024] In order for the expectation of correct grammar and spelling to be realised, I will relax this presentation requirement, but insist on NO punctuation at line end as the line breaks serve this purpose. See my latest blog, dated 18 June, for details.
A personal philosophical statement (one of the main requirements of Suzette Prime) is glaringly missing from this travesty of a ‘poem’.
AI can’t create, only plagiarise in order for it to produce content. AI reads to react, and not to understand. It has no personal baggage to draw on; it has no HISTORY!
‘Poetry should be felt, rather than understood.’ ~Suzette Richards (11 May 2024)*
The Architects of Poems
‘[A] poem can do anything it wants to do. The problem is not the poem, it is the medium [poetry as a whole]. It takes two to stanza. The problem is not necessarily the writer, but the reader… to receive and recognise the signals, to slow down, to make yourself vulnerable to connection. It is about good writing, not the form of writing.’
This quote first appeared in an online facebook post in Daily Maverick, ‘On reading poetry and quarrelling with myself’, dated 16 July 2021, by Mark Heywood.
Reader’s Response
Literary critics take into account the reader’s response as the starting point in their analysis of a poem. Poems can be complex in their content, but there needs to be a reaction on the part of the reader; an element of recognition or a common ground of experience, ie something that the reader may identify with. Feelings often underlie most well-written poetry. It does not have to be a blatant emotion to engage the reader’s attention.
Readers of poetry often assume that a poem is to be read for its ‘message’ that is hidden amongst the tropes employed. This deciphering puts a damper on the enjoyment of the poem. I myself have fallen into this trap by asserting that if the meaning is too readily found, it is not poetry. A poem analysis is all good and well on a scholarly level, but does not necessarily enhance the reading experience. As with rhyme, poetic devices employed by the poet should be subtle and not obvious, fighting with the content of the poem. John Keats had his say on the topic of rhymes, especially those found in sonnets of the day: ‘If by Dull Rhymes Our English Must Be Chain’d‘ (also known as ‘On the Sonnet’).
If by dull rhymes our English must be chain’d,
And, like Andromeda, the sonnet sweet
Fetter’d, in spite of painéd loveliness;
Let us find out, if we must be constrain’d,
Sandals more interwoven and complete
To fit the naked foot of Poesy;
Let us inspect the lyre, and weigh the stress
Of every chord, and see what may be gain’d
By ear industrious, and attention meet;
Misers of sound and syllable, no less
Than Midas of his coinage, let us be
Jealous of dead leaves in the bay wreath crown;
So, if we may not let the Muse be free,
She will be bound with garlands of her own.
Tropes
A literary trope is the use of figurative language, via word, phrase or an image, for artistic effect such as using a figure of speech. All tropes work to evoke a mood, emotion, or physical sensation. It is not the exclusive domain of poetry and may be found in speeches, novels, folklore, etc.
The broader category of folklore includes myths and legends. The inclusion of references to mythological figures is not exclusive to poetry. Somehow ‘a Herculean task’ sounds better than ‘a heck of a big job’; ‘Selene kept watch over the lovers’, instead of ‘the bright full moon shone down favourably upon the lovers’, etc. The reason why writers use these literary/poetic devices is that it is shorthand allowing for succinct expression. Often poets come up with new comparisons to bring us fresh poetic perspective. However, if the reader is not familiar with the terminology used, a carefully crafted poem might end up kissing the pavement.
Over the Top
Poets need to take care that the initial stimulus, their first reaction, does not overpower their final poem—personal critique is highly recommended.
The final poem, culled of overly ambitious text, for example, the excessive use of adverbs and adjectives, and pretentious use of poetic devices (especially dead metaphors); should woe the reader. As early as the 17th century extended metaphor (poetic conceits) were seen as being so farfetched that it had inspired William Shakespeare, a master at using metaphor, to poke fun at it with his Sonnet CXXX (130): ‘My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun …’
Understanding Poetry
Billy Collins summed up best our obsession with understanding poetry in these final two stanzas from Introduction to Poetry:†
But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.
They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means.
Contest
See my latest premiere contest, Poetry Should be Felt, for details. You are invited to pose questions relevant to this contest at this blog as I can’t regularly attend to soup mail. I am looking for individuality. As Henri Matisse said: ‘Creativity takes courage.’
Optional Reading
The Role of Philosophy of Positivity in Poetry | PoetrySoup.com
Happy quills!
Suzette
*Poetry should be felt:
- ‘Poetry is what happens when your mind stops working, and for a moment, all you do is “feel”.’ ~The second-century Greek philosopher, Atticus.
- ‘Poetry is all about encapsulating raw emotions into words in such a way that it’s released and felt with the soul every time it’s read.’ ~Alicia N Green (singer-songwriter from Maryland, USA).
†Reference