For the most part, I don't like modern poetry. There, I said it. I feel guilty when people ask me to read their poems, because it seems to me such a personal thing, and yet I'm already predisposed to not like it before I've even given it a chance. I feel like there should be a disclaimer given every time someone gives me a poem to read: "Don't give this to me. It's not fair to you." It doesn't just extend to friends, but professional writers that I otherwise love and admire. If an author has written an anthology, it'll take a lot for me to not skip over the poems. I think Neil Gaiman was the last published author, and the only one I can think of off the top of my head, that can write a poem that'll make me stop in my tracks. He did it with "The Fairy Reel," and again with "Instructions." Some of his poetry is funny and cute, but those two really speak to me. Still, I was ready to pass off even Gaiman when it came to poetry. There's something about the man's words that catch me by the back of my collar and gently pull me back for another look.
The funny thing is, I like poetry. I do. I just don't care for much past Whitman's era. I know I'll probably burn in library hell for this one, but I blame Uncle Walty for the corruption of the modern poem. Before Whitman, it seemed poems were things of beauty. Little shiny gems whittled down and polished until they shone. People actually worked at writing a poem. Then Whitman came around with his craziness, giving rhyme and meter the big middle finger, and then everyone thought they could write a masterpiece. Free verse just doesn't do much for me. (Though there are always exceptions.) I dig listening to Slam poets because I like the performance aspect of it, but on paper, most of it just makes me go "meh."
Now, don't get me wrong, writing poetry is a great exercise. It's a fantastic way to stretch and build literary muscle. Play with it. Use it. Have fun with it. Express yourself! But lord help me, I just wish people wouldn't be so quick to share it with me after dashing off a few lines in five minutes. Let it rest, come back to it, and then work on it again. Just like a good story, it takes work.
Then again, maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm the one with the blinders on. I think it's something that I'll have to re-examine. I'm afraid that if I don't at least try to clear the bias from my head, I'll get stuck in a writer's rut. After all, how can I expect someone to look at a piece of work I admire (let alone have written myself), if I'm the one mentally rolling my eyes at any poem that doesn't rhyme? It's going to take work, but I will try.
