What Drives A Poet

[Terry]

What Drives a Poet?

What drives some poets to such lengths they barely sleep at night?
while wrestling with the metre or with rhymes they must get right.
And haggard then they struggle on as stories come to mind,
while tortured as they look in vain, for words they cannot find.

Although they dream of comps to win, most never really care,
it’s just a silly challenge now, a kind of wishful dare.
They look for inspiration and they have their secret fears,
but what they strive for most of all - acceptance by their peers.

******

Terry

[Bob Pacey]

Well put Terry it is hard to think why we write so much. I have poems that cover a lot of subjects and sometimes they help deal with the things life throws at us.


Still it is great to see an audience enjoy what we do.

I tell them " Either you are laughing at me or laughing at my poems but the best thing is you are laughing "

Bob

[Terry]

G/day Bob,
We're a weird mob alright, almost driven at times I think.
As I said we may try the comps. occasionally, but the most pleasurable thing is sharing a poem with an audience or your fellow poets here.
A pity about the published thing but I guess that's fair enough under the circumstances, I used to post a lot of my new poems and still enter the better ones in comps, but Carols reasoning posted here recently did make sense.

Cheers Terry

[keats]

I agree Terry. Funny thing isn't it. I used to lose sleep over my entries in comps and now the poems that I once won comps with are the last ones people want to hear me perform. Maybe because they are too rigid and stand out as 'Competition' Poems. I would give all the written trophies away in the blink of an eye for smiles on peoples faces when they leave my show. I think there is always a place for the written word, but people who have never had an interest in poetry are drawn by the entertainment on Performance Poetry.

[william williams]

Too True Keats Many People remember the performance more than the written word you only have to ask them and 8 times out of 10 I know what the answer would be

Bill W

[keats]

Spot on Bill. I'm about to hit the road again for 6 or 7 months or so of performing. If we don't take it to the people, the people just don't come to us.

[Bob Pacey]

Keats you got it in one go. I have had people come up after a show and say I never knew poetry could be such fun.


I do a lot of charity work for respite care and foundation kids with Downs syndrome and the inter action is great.

Keep doing what your are doing mate its working

Cheers Bob

[r.magnay]

YEP! my missus has no interest in poetry at all, waste of time writing poetry to woo her 'cause she wouldn't ever read it! However, when we went to Gympie a few years back she got quite a kick out of the poets breakfasts...not only the food either! mind you, she's still not that keen on recitals but a good standup humerous rendition she will handle.

[Irene]

Too true!!!
Would love to be able to recite well, and have the audience laughing, but don't have the ability, so stick pretty well to writing!!

Up until I went to Tamworth a couple of years ago, I had not really heard much poetry performed - except my Dad when we were kids, and he did a great job of it!! - but now I have seen so many wonderful performers, I definitely agree that it is the best way to get poetry out to the general public!!!

[Heather]

I've had a couple of my war poems published in the local newspapers and have had some good feedback from that. I had one man ring me to say he liked And The Poppies Dance and another stop me in the supermarket. That was nice.

Heather