Zero to Hero, a Guide - 1. Introduction

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by

AC Benus

Introduction – Hello! And Welcome!

One must be drenched in words,

literally soaked in them,

to have the right ones

form themselves

into the proper pattern

at the right moment.

—Hart Crane

This book is intended for the passionate novice, perhaps the person who writes already but wants to learn more. It’s best to forget all preconceived notions about Poetry and pick up this ‘how-to’ guide with an open mind. The prompts are sequential and intended to build upon one another in the manner of a true course of study. In other words, you should take the challenges one by one and not move on until you feel comfortable with your results. To help you, I provide a self-check list of items at the end of each Prompt. Use it to review your work, and proceed to the next lesson only if you feel you’ve completed the task fully.

If your daily life seems poor,

do not blame it; blame yourself

that you are not poet enough

to call forth its riches;

for the Creator,

there is no poverty.

—Rainer Maria Rilke

The Prompts are meant to be inspiring. Sometimes they’ll be challenging and ask you to dig deep and truly examine how you see the world. Many people find inspiration in nature; others in urban noise and confusion. Whichever type of poet you are, first and foremost be true to your drive to reach out and connect to others via your words. For as Hart Crane said, you must be drenched in words to write poetry.

Poetry is thoughts that breathe,

and words that burn.

—Thomas Gray

For some of us, Poetry is suffused in everything already; inspiration comes from everywhere. We write because we live and cannot divide one from the other. This book is for you also. For you will not have trouble being inspired, or constructing your feelings in free-form verse, but the goal of taking these forty Prompt challenges is to built your personal tool box of form. Slowly, you will absorb the new techniques and have a way to let inspiration tell you the ‘perfect’ mode of expression for your work. The more you know, the easier it will be to connect to others via what you construct.

The world is full of poetry.

The air is living with its spirit;

and the waves dance

to the music of its melodies,

and sparkle in its brightness.

—James Gates Percival

So, what is Poetry? What is Verse? The distinction is important to keep in mind, for any single line can be poetic – that is, have melody coupled with meaning – and many writers were masters of Poetry through prose. Think of Melville’s “Call me Ishmael”, or Mark Twain’s “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.” These are pure poetry and delight or challenge in their own way by being memorable and melodic. But Verse is something much different. The best person to ever define it concisely was Edgar Allan Poe. In his own how-to book, The Rationale of Verse, he tells us “Verse, from the Latin vertere, to turn, is so called on account of the turning or recommencement of the series of feet,” by which he means, turning a single line of poetry into a second (or third, or fourth, or however many you need). Verse is all about turning that line at the appropriate place and leading the reader into deeper meanings within your poem; not to do it randomly, as the author of The Raven warned, but where it is most meaningful.

I would define, in brief,

the poetry of words

as the rhythmical

creation of Beauty.

—Edgar Allan Poe

Petronius was very hard on young poets, mocking them in the Satyricon as people who dribble some words on a page and are arrogant enough to think they’ve changed the world. For me personally, I have more hope, for even the likes of Sapho, Whitman, Homer, Longfellow, Shakespeare and Frost – and dare I add Petronius himself – were all young novices once. But after they had learned some and cut their teeth, they indeed did change the world with their poetry. I have faith you and I have the same potential.

Genuine poetry can communicate

before it is understood.

—T. S. Eliot

I have provided these inspiring quotes to begin your immersion into the liquid sea of words. For as you can tell, they have the power to transmit thoughts and feelings across time and cultures. We poets understand that best of all, and indulge in the enjoyment of knowing we can always improve the way our message is delivered. Please proceed into this book with the open mind I mentioned earlier, and add to it an open heart as well. Remember, you may be writing for yourself, but others will be moved too, that is, if you’ve done it right. But then again, I know you can do it right every time. Good luck and please enjoy this Poetry Prompt adventure with me as your guide.

I decided that it was not wisdom

that enabled poets to write their poetry,

but a kind of instinct or inspiration,

such as you find in seers and prophets

who deliver all their sublime messages

without knowing in the least what they mean.

—Socrates

Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion,

but an escape from emotion;

it is not the expression of personality,

but an escape from personality.

—T.S. Eliot

Poetry is when

an emotion has found its thought

and the thought has found words.

—Robert Frost

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