So I walk the Cuttledogs, return home, turn on the idiot-box, and am transformed.
By stroke of luck, it just so happens to be Maine’s 2012 Competition Finals of Poetry Out Loud. My goodness, what a wonderful thing.
When I write my piddling little verses, I hope that the best of them are, above all, fun to recite out loud. My favorite poems are those that I cannot read just once–I am compelled to repeat them, aloud, no matter how much it annoys the cats. Poetry–real poetry–is meant to be spoken, to be felt, both in the speaking and in the hearing.
A couple of years ago, a reader asked to read one of my verses for Poetry Out Loud (or some local variant). Maybe some year, I’ll hear one of my poor verses on a state or national stage. For now, I’ll be satisfied knowing that someone thought my verse was worthy of the effort.
After the jump, the finals:
Watch Maine Poetry Out Loud 2012 Competition Finals on PBS. See more from MPBN Specials.
Humbling. But these kids give me hope for our future. Or maybe just mine.
I must say… it heartens me to see (thus far) a preference for poems that actually feature meter and rhyme!
Agreed that meter and rhyme are great, but I would also like to add that the words have to have a meaning; an instantly understandable flow that tells a story. Unfortunately not all poets grasp that and meander off into the stratosphere of stupid gibberish. It’s poets like that that keep the rest of us from reading poetry; it’s way too painful to endure and process. Vogan poetry for example (Hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy)
So it’s a delight to have come across the likes of the Cuttlepoet
Hi! Usually it’s all I can do (if not more than I can do) to keep up over at Pharyngula, but I stumbled across this post via Facebook, and I wanted to thank you for promoting Poetry Out Loud. My daughter competed in POL throughout high school, and was Connecticut State Champion in 2007, as a junior. I can’t say enough about what a great program POL is!