I went to a Laureate poetry selection. I was at the library this Sunday and about sixty people were gathering around in a room.

"What's the gathering for," I asked.

"It’s the celebration & selection for the new Laureate."

"Is it free?"

"Yes, come and join us."

I went and milled around and had a nice conversation with a women poet and writer. I decided to stay and see if I was able to comprehend the poetry that would be read. Since I generally can't understand some of the poetry because of the words used that can describe many things depending who reads it.

I was surprised that six of the previous Laureates spoke and read a poem as a introduction to the new selection, I liked them. All of them didn't have short rhyming verses, they were short easy to follow descriptive narrative. They actually just told a story about a selected specific theme and they stayed on it with easy to understand language.

I thought, "Hey, I can do that," I thought as I applauded when each poet finished their poetry, and welcomed the next poet of six.

Finally the new selected Laurette for the next two year was welcomed. I had been given an invitation to a Tuesday night appearance at a local place where he would be the only poet.

He started with a lot of humor and everyone laughed and smiled at his wit, including myself. Then after his entire intro, he started reading poems he had written from the three books on sale at the desk I was seating at.

Oops, . . . his poetry was one that had short stances and they rhymed, and kept repeating the first line with the last line.

His delivery wasn't a subtle and gentle as the previous poets. It was sometimes loud and to me annoying. I sat through five of his poems. I know I had applauded the other poets. I applauded his first poems then I decided that I didn't like the second, the third, the fourth, and the fifth.

I gathered my stuff stood up and left the room before he started on the sixth poem. I notice that at least four other people also left.

I thanked the person at the door and made my exist. I took my brochure to attend future readings on Tuesday evening in Healdsburg and maybe It would inspire me to improve on my poetry that I have written and stop trying to always be witty and just make good endings to my poetry.

What do you people think is the best, the rhyming or a narrative poem that tells or shows a scene?

Do you think that delivery of the poet is as important and as the content?

Do you think if you are a bad deliverer of poems, it's okay to ask someone else to read it for you?

Maybe I am all wrong in the observations I found and I wrote about above. 

Did I not allow for differences for the delivery?

Should I give that poet another try?

Should I read his stuff for myself?

Thank you, poets.

From a writer who is not a poet, YET!

 

                                                   DENVER

Over thirty have viewed this post, yet nobody has left a comment. All of you are writers, or poets I thought you might help me.

                              DENVER

"What do you people think is the best, the rhyming or a narrative poem that tells or shows a scene?"

I have merely dabbled with lyric poetry, but in my humble opinion I tend to favor a narrative style. Have you ever read any of William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell? It's partially a response to John Milton's Paradise Lost, but it also really takes on a life of its own. In addition to conjuring up wonderful images of the supernatural in your imagination, it also contains a few philosophical concepts in it that won't sound alien to readers of Friedrich Nietzsche (which shocked me. Just listen to the stuff Blake says about restraining the will and compare it to some of Nietzsche's sentiments in Beyond Good and Evil.) Anyway, I can't say enough good things about William Blake who has a narrative style in a lot of his mythic poetry, so my preference is for that.

I think that you should give the poet another try, and specifically read his stuff. While an entertaining delivery is a plus, it isnt always indicative of good poetry. Speaking well is great, but it doesn't mean you have skill in writing. What about quiet people who refuse to read their poems? Those poems might be superior, but they will receive less public attention because they do not read well. Perhaps the gentleman you walked out on has magnificent poems, but merely couldn't present them well... or maybe they actually are in bad taste. I guess you'll have to investigate for us.

Thanks for sharing your experience with us!

Thanks for the comment. I will give that poet another try on Tuesday evening when he will be the focused poet and I will also check out William Blake. 

It seem that I favor narrative style poetry.