I realise that this section is devoted to helping us all to improve our writings. To that end, I shall try to address the issues you have raised.
Firstly, I think it is important to understand that good poetry writing requires very much more than grammar and punctuation. Of course, both are indeed important, but I would urge extreme caution that through the obsessional pursuit of ‘grammatical excellence’, one does not lose the very essence of the poet’s nature; the poet’s lyricism eg………
Some good time ago I caught myself ‘critiquing’ verses on greeting cards.
I was shocked when I finally realised that in so doing, I was losing the very essence of the cards’ purpose…that I was contaminating the purity of poetically conveyed, loving support, not only for myself, but for the kindly card giver. It was a lesson well learnt; personally, and poetically. (Hopefully, this little expose of mine may go some way towards urging ‘judges’ to stay very mindful of just what they are judging….ie. poetry…poets…and not high school English teachers.)
Goodo……does this help?
The iron lace holds… rusting… to the fence around the grave,
the headstone leans… forlorn… in vain despair,
(call it ‘poetic licence’ if you will. For me, it was an exercise in not cluttering with over-punctuation.) I am a poet. My poems may be littered with ‘inversions’ etc. As a poet I am trying to say something in a different, more lyrically pleasing way…more especially, to say something without saying it…there-in lies the poet’s true skill, in my firm opinion.
‘‘I have never heard any speaker, Australian or otherwise (where English is the main language used), say the word 'familiar' as four syllables.’’
Well Peely my lad, I obviously must have departed from my native speech when communicating with you….because…it has been identified by ‘sources’ (that I am inclined to trust way beyond some highly contradictory ‘dictionaries’) that I actually speak in meter, for a good percentage of the time. If you ever do attend one of my guest speaking engagements, and listen, you will hear me pronounce the true syllabic content of words….Aus tral i an. Fa mil i ar. Sol it ar y. If I happen to write them with ‘trimmed’ syllables, it would be a conscious choice in order to maintain meter…but I should not be terribly happy with myself for doing so. Having said that, when I am judging I do make allowances for this usage, given the predominance of it in our vernacular.
I do hope this discussion assists emerging writers. It is always my aim to assist other poets, given the dedicated help I received from highly professional writers, when I was a ‘newbie.’ Good luck to you all.
Cheeers
Glenny
- and so I am relieved to hear that you don't think it a mortal sin 
So going to read your lovely words yet again mindful of your always good advice.
