Poetry Hits Harder When It Breaks the Pattern
- A chapter from How To Write Evocative Poetry -
One way to leave a lasting impression on the reader is to play with opposites and subvert expectations. This will take many different forms, but the basic suggestion would be to twist tried and tested tropes. Turning them on their head and making them mean the opposite of their original meaning, or something new entirely. Surprises, when pulled off well, have added impact due to the shock value.
In Nightmares & Fantasies I wanted to highlight how the juxtaposition of opposites can be arousing and flirtatious. Typically, when we read poetry about romance or attraction and the like, we find over the top statements of emotionality or promises of love. Grand declarations of feelings and promises of what one will or has done for another. I wanted to subvert that trope by adding some darkness and ambiguity to the mix. When this is combined with the contrasting themes of darkness and light, the result is compelling indeed.
Nightmares & Fantasies
I am
The intersection
Between your nightmares
And fantasiesPunishing you
With the pleasure
You thought you wanted
Pleasing you
With the pains
You never imaginedI am
Too much
Of a good thing
And
Not enough
Of a badExcessive desires
Fulfilled
Scant nourishments
WithheldFar too much
Of what you want
Not nearly enough
Of what you needAn attractive horror show
Filled
With the bastard children
Of
Ecstasy and terror
In The Candle Burns I wanted to play with the saying ‘don’t burn the candle at both ends’, but also consider what the candle itself is giving/sacrificing for us. We don’t usually consider the inner world of a candle; it is a mere tool. Yet, as this poem shows us, doing so can be quite moving indeed.
The Candle Burns
The candle burns
Giving light
Giving warmthBy fulfilling its function
It destroys itself
By destroying itself
It serves othersThe candle burns
Sacrificing itself
For us
In Enlightenment I get meta, addressing the reader directly, and acknowledging within the poem that what is being read is a poem; breaking the fourth wall so to speak. This poem has layers, as it alludes to the authors (my) failings, as the reader’s potential for similar failings. It subverts expectations as it isn’t normal for poems to be self-referential.
Enlightenment
Social media
Has us believing
That each
And every thought
That crosses our mind
Is such divinely inspired
Wisdom
That it simply must
Be shared
For the sake of the worldThe thought
That inspired
This very poem
Is no exceptionSo tell me
How does
Enlightenment feel?
I approach subverting expectations and playing with opposites differently with The Love I Feel. You can read the strike-through lines alone, the normal lines alone, and then both together. You will notice the flipping and twisting of the rhymes used adds weight to the twisting of the messaging between the two different versions of the poems.
The Love I Feel
The love I feel
So impossibly realThe love that’s real
So impossible to feelA point of reality
Against a bleak totalityA bleak totality
Devoid of realityA pinprick of light
That illuminates the nightA dark night
Pricked with terror and flightA whispered prayer
Promising a truth and a dareA violent glare
Promising pain and a scareA look and a touch
That’s never too muchA look and a touch
That’s always too muchA lifetime together
Souls entwined foreverA lifetime together
Souls enmeshed forever
In Rewrite The Future I am purposefully evoking opposites on a conceptual level and use the
ABAB structure to present the poem. The result is a piece that is immediately engaging but also worthy of a reread and deeper consideration to fully grasp the meaning.
Rewrite The Future
I’d rewrite the future
To change the past
Pray to Gods I don’t believe
To make the moment lastWalking backwards from reality
Barefoot and alone
The shifting sands underneath
Have stopped feeling like homePleasure always
Has an aspect of pain
And that pain
Always has an aspect of shameMy mind wanders
Faster than I can walk
I’d take it all back
If only I could talk
Make All Your Writing Poetic
Why not practice what you are learning here and in the next sections, in your emails, text messages, social media posts, and all other forms of communication? I am not saying to start emailing the boss in rhyme, or writing the shopping list as a sonnet, but rather to consider each piece of text as an opportunity to practice the craft. Ask yourself, can I say this in a more interesting way? Are some of my words superfluous? Could I choose to use more evocative language here? Would the addition of an analogy, symbolism, or alliteration enhance the piece?
Obviously, each form and medium will have its own expectations and restrictions, and like writing structured poetry, you certainly need to stick to those conventions, but perhaps there are opportunities to enhance your writing and thus practice the craft in other areas of your life. Small repetitions, done daily, will yield massive results.
Consider the following tweet. I could have expressed a similar sentiment any number of ways but instead I chose to evoke a poetic flair:
Every sentence is a chance to practice poetry.
A text, a tweet, a line of thought,
Say it simpler, or say it stranger,
But say it like it matters.
Whether or not it turned out better that way is besides the point. I aim to practice writing poetically wherever possible and I encourage you to do the same.
Summary
Opportunities to play with opposites and subvert expectations are almost limitless. If you are inspired to write something, but it doesn’t quite feel like a full or solid idea, consider twisting it on its head. Change an aspect around, move the lines up and down, alter the perspective, flip the emotionality. Experiment with all the aspects of the piece and perhaps you will craft a more evocative poem.
This chapter is from the book How To Write Evocative Poetry
