Hi Cathy and Ron, Lori et al,
Rhyme schemes...
It is true that few poets at the cutting edge today seem to use rhyme. However, fashions come and go and rhymes will be popular again, I have no doubt. On MM, in particular, there are many poems and poets involved in rhyme. I think I may have been one of Cathy's critics to whom she refers but I have used rhyme many times and I am sure I shall do again.
Poor rhyme (this now refers to no one) can sound childish - and many child's rhymes are good. However, rhyme can be used effectively. Some poems benefit from it; some do not. Some poems would benefit from better rhyme schemes and so on.
My own general preference is to write without any form, meter nor rhyme. Why? Because I find it distracting. It imposes disciplines and limitations which seem pointless. I have things I wish to say and I would prefer to concentrate on those. It is easier in that one can ignore all the rules. However, it is harder in some ways because there are no guidelines, so readability etc can be way-off, with no boundaries to assist with improvement of poem. However, I would not be able to experiment as I do if I stuck to forms. (Though many people might say that was a good reason to write in form!)
Now, this is not to say that I do not enjoy others’ strict form / meter / rhyme poems: I often do. Many people on MM - you three are excellent examples - spend a lot of time perfecting their poetry in set styles. The result is some very good poems, indeed. So there is still a great deal of point in writing in styles - because readers often appreciate them and, therefore, you can convey your message.
I just wanted to say, that although you may not be cutting-edge, I, for one, often enjoy reading form poems so I’m sure very many other people do too - probably the majority of readers! keep on truckin’!
James.
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