Science or Art, IP, abab Options

[jgdittier]

Is poetry a science or an art,
its form an inmate's solitary state,
enchained by prose's flavor, naught but tart,
encased in walls of brick or solid slate?

When wisdom rules as commeth forth from mind;
if crystal hard, a mold, no choice allows.
Behold, we've verse of scientific kind,
less choice for guffaws, nor for laughs and howls.

If verse is art, the poet then is free
to entertain us any way his muse
can choose, like Charlie on "Berg's" knee,
and none of Milton's methods man may lose.

May bards e'er be the forces to elate,
humanity's approach to verse, sublime
and pray our minds we vow to never sate
and lose these joys we nurse with beat and rhyme.

note "Berg's" =Edgar Bergin, ventriloquist/humorist,
Charlie McCarthy was his dummy

[Guest_Jox_*]

Hi Ron.

You'll see, if you visit Room 101, in the banter section, that I have been talking about my dogs. Well, I took a copy of your poem (destroyed now - no copyright problems!) out with me when the three of us went round the woods today.

It has taken me a while to get to grips with it but I have realised two things:

1. This poem is against modern structured poems.
2. This poem is another in your arguments about such.

It was rather enjoyable but I remain puzzled a little, sorry. Here's my Q:

What is the difference between modern structured poems (which I tend to avoid) and old structured poems (which I tend to avoid). You are interested in bards - what about the Shakesperian Sonnet?. In t'other words, how does one differentiate between forms over the ages - aren't they all constraints (or, as Daniel would have it, I think, opportunities)?

Thanks in anticipation.

James.