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, Please excuse me slightly diverting your tile for a moment...

Daniel, Hi...

>>discussion that followed, in which I surprisingly found my name, coming something short of disparaging my point of view [ Notice that I DID say, SHORT of; so no reaction is necessary from anyone. ]

The only reference to you that I can find is mine from my first post in this thread - Viz:

>>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 Shakespearian 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)?

So I think I’d better offer a reaction...

It was a compliment (nothing to do with being disparaging to you, nor to your point of view) and, after re-reading it several times, I'm not sure how it could be seen any other way. Surely, one who sees opportunities, where others merely see constraints, is someone to be praised? No?

You may remember that we discussed (on MM) how you like to take various forms and develop them in new ways? That was to what this refers.

James.