Frank Bidart speaking on form/tradition

An interesting comment but only part of the whole problem.

Modern Poets have turned their back on the past, presumably out of fear of being thought of as a copycat or being unfavorabley compared to what has been written before.

The truth is that each succeeding generation has it's own new insights and, as long as one remembers that the primary purpose of Poetry is to COMMUNICATE and uses good principles of CRAFTSMANSHIP, selecting a theme, deciding on a subject which illustrates it and picking images and lanquage which expresses one's message clearly and succintly in a cohesive whole, those insights will come through regardless of the specific form one uses, (and for me at least, that form has always been dictated by what I'm trying to say)

Being afraid of the past and letting that fear limit one's options as to how you express your insights is the surest way to limit one's potential as a Poet, and saying anything significant to future generations.

Think about it.

Jim Hoye, (JRH)

Hi kdnxdr,

My favourite bits:

@ 26 seconds, 'In terms of my own life, I remember very early in the middle Sixties'

&

@ 1m:29s, 'she has treated the dramatic monologue, she has filled that form'

Phonetically, very similar (poetic?)

I found it a soporific monologue, thanks for sharing it.

Kid,

Me too...lol
I homed in on the sound of his voice as I didn't understand a word of it.
I listened to it several times but it was late at night.

Anyhow, I get fed up with counting sheep over here...