A Novelist's Idle - My Favorite Poetry

As I spend my days writing Book II of my fantasy and sci-fi novel series – The Soulstealer War – it’s pleasant to consider a tangent every now and again. So it is that RedRoom’s “your favorite poem” caught my eye today. Redroom is a blossoming community of writers for all genres and a good spot to find your favorite author - http://www.RedRoom.com.

Let me confess… poetry is not my forte. In fact, there was a time in high school when it was my pain. Putting aside those early nightmares of iambic pentameter, I recall my grasp of poetry undergoing rapid evolution. Back then, I thought poetry was something love-struck girls penned in homage to their latest crush or because well-meaning teachers would accept it in lieu of a five-hundred word essay that might never appear.

Well, we all mature eventually. For me that occurred with my introduction to the English Romantic Period. The poets of this era changed my perception of the art forever. I may never be a poet, but the likes of Byron, Shelley, and Keats convinced me that every great writer needs a fundamental grounding in poetry. For what is the word, if not the ability to express concepts, emotions and images with a beauty and grace that can inspire even the dullest of humanity to lofty heights… or to terrible depths. Poetry transcends the written word to resonate within our very soul.

So, whether its “roses are red and violets are blue,” an Anglo-Saxon epic, the Eddic poems, a Shakespearean sonnet, or your choice of modern free verse, I say to my fellow novelists, give poetry its due.

As for my favorites, I expect you to know the first two, but encourage you to sample the last. I find that it sets a mood for contemplating the universe.

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner – Samuel Taylor Coleridge

The One Ring Poem – from The Lord of Rings – JRR Tolkien

Darkness – Lord Byron

Cheers,

W.L. Hoffman - author of The Soulstealer War: The First Mother's Fire
http://www.SoulstealerWar.com