ALChemy24 Jan 2006

You may come across the popular poemranker critique "Show us don't tell us" and you'll think "what the hell is that supposed to mean. If so, I feel your pain. It's a generic comment made by those who are too lazy to explain what they mean. What they usually mean is that in some poems you should make the poem take on the characteristics of the subject. If it's a sad poem use sad words and slow rythm. If it's a happy poem use happy words and upbeat rhythm. Think about writing your poem in a parable style like Jesus did with his disciples. Now this isn't always the case. I am perfectly OK with scientific and philosophical approaches to poetry that avoid too much aesthetic imagery and are focussed more on the truth of reality. Anyway I just thought I'd let you know that here, it's a lot about "show".