ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

After work yesterday I met a couple of folk for a few drinks and found that one of them, a lady in her seventies also writes poetry. The discussion of course eventually got around to styles and when I said Bush Poetry her comment was " Oh ! I love the way you guys always make your poems rhyme". I could never do that !

All in all a very interesting discussion.

Cheers Bob

Very strange comment, Bob.

Coming from a seventy year old.

I'm in that bracket. And Australian poetry for me (traditional) is all about rhyme.

It is only the modern poets that divert, Murray for instance, writes every style. Whilst the likes of Minter ( an Aboriginal academic at the University of Sydney is purely a free verse advocate). There are many more.

Bush poetry is rhyming poetry, there can be no dispute about this. Bush poetry is traditionally rhyming poetry, full stop.

So, a basic perception in this modern age is: bush poetry is a narrow field. Bush poets these days refers to romanticists who wallow in he fantasy world of yester-years.
Those of us who shun the modern world for dirt roads and single storey buildings with no modern conveiniances.

We live in a world where there is no evil. A world of tough times and the harsh reality of nature.

Regards,


John

Morning Bob an John

John I feel the same as you and am aged in the seventies, I have only ever liked poetry that has rhyme and rhythm and must admit this is because if it doesn’t I don’t understand it. As Billy lids our Mum read and recited the old masters of bush verse to us and I guess it is now ingrained.

Jasper Brush wrote:So, a basic perception in this modern age is: bush poetry is a narrow field. Bush poets these days refers to romanticists who wallow in he fantasy world of yester-years.
Those of us who shun the modern world for dirt roads and single storey buildings with no modern conveiniances.

We live in a world where there is no evil. A world of tough times and the harsh reality of nature.

Yair John me too.

TTFN

I am not afraid to admit

that, deep down at the very core of my being, my gut feeling is
'if it don't rhyme, it ain't poetry'.

I know this is not the 'intellectual' view, and I have read quite a bit on non-rhymed verse that I really liked. However it always feels as though the writer could have just taken that extra time and effort to make it rhyme. I always feel more satisfied when I hear a poem where the regular rhythm and rhyme sings along.

One of my excuses is that I am a Libra and we like things neat and balanced. In Bush Poetry we have lines of similar length and stress patterns throughout a poem. Neat and tidy.

Zondrae I am a Libran too and that's why I usually buy two of everything but some free verse is pretty good - I reckon I am a bit like the cat that walks carefully along the top of the fence, he can see both sides, can jump either way, doesn't get nasty surprises and has a bit of a dabble where ever the fancy takes him. Maintains the status quo or tries to. I definitely fall into Johns description though of a romanticist - but I guess there are no surprises there

Yep, I'm another who deep down thinks "if it don't rhyme, it ain't poetry" and I refuse to apologise for it. That's just the way it is for me, other people can like what they like. I won't knock their choices and all I ask is that they don't knock mine. Maybe some people will say I just have bad taste, after all I liked 'LOST' too, but that's a whole other story. Uumh, didn't care for the ending much though.

What do you know, I'm a Libran too! Is there a theme here?

I'm not a fan of non-rhyming poetry. I remember years ago someone boasting about their poetry and I thought it was simply awful. It is the rhyme and rhythm of bush poetry that attracts me.

Heather

Hey guess what we are all on this Bush Poets forum! Do you think there might be some sort of message here?

Birds of a feather.......

Oh Guess what you will never believe this but i'm not a Libran.

I'm a Leo and our defination is We never let the truth get in the way of a good story.

I agree even though I can appreciate free style and rap poetry


Bush Poetry Rules


Bob