Stanza Mar Menor

STANZA MAR MENOR

We met again on Monday 11th January 2016 and we intend to do the same again next Monday.
There were four of us assembled around the table with the IPad recording every word so that we can send our readings and comments to David in Murmansk.

Douglas had, with him, five sonnets and a five-verse-four-lined one entitled 'No Longer Daffodils' that referred back to Wordsworth and the Future Learn course that we had studied. It was not about daffodils, of course, but about something closer to our thinking. That important subject of what or how good are a collection of assembled words. Are they prose or are they 'real M'Coy' - Poetry. He spells his view out eloquently and then we have one line 'that poetry can be sublime' summing it all up. He and the rest of us are aware of what is being exhibited as poetry. That's the modern form that lacks rhythm for one thing and masquerades as being poetic. I do not blame the words for they are never at fault. I blame the writers, the academics and the judges that proclaim and exalt this tedious stuff. Poetry should be for everyone and not for some clique who think that they know what is best. We don't concur, but still respecting their individual right.

Douglas's five sonnets were of personal thoughts and touched, delicately, on important things to all of us. However, one of them, told of an old cure for sleeplessness. Of course everyone should know that a peeled onion placed by the resting head of the insomniac will always succeed! These last few months has seen his production rate soar and he has announced that his next book will be filled brimful with sonnets. That's good as I think that I can find enough space for another signed copy. Well done.

David sent one about the pollution he is experiencing up in frozen Murmansk. I will give you a the first few words. - 'In this shitty city, power station chimneys/spew out plumes of filthy fumes'. That sets the scene and he goes on to spell out the fact that the communities suffer while 'fat-cats' indulge themselves. We commented that this rant was 'soft' unlike his previous sharp edged words. It must be the temperatures! Keep it up David. Rant on for I do believe that there is ample space for poetics to protest.

He also sent to us more words on 'Tonka And The Shaman' which is a children's story that will be illustrated. We will send him our thoughts on this story.

Margaret read two 'stories' that she had heard in England that had been performed at an 'open-mic'. She wanted to share them with us and to elicit our views. Again we revert back to whether they were poetry or prose. The verdict was that neither were poetic, but very good stories.

On exactly the same theme we looked at the product of a Poetry Society Stanza meeting that had been placed on the Society's Face Book Page. It is all there for all to see and so we read and commented. The theme picked upon was the original reason for the recipe for Bakewell Tart. So we have a recipe 'poem' or several. The one offered publicly contained some good words and lines. We have to bear in mind that it was written in an evening, but we did suggest that things could be better. For us, it was not poetic. So be it.

Robin had joined us for only the second time and promised to write something again. Margaret too hopes to get some more words into print. John was not able to make a contribution of his own, but has several ideas to become more than work-in-progress.

We did also try to link up via Skype as well as record our meeting which was sent out by email. It is all to do again next week.