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Digesting Poetry By: Elmi Zulkarnain POETRY is a way of seeing or an art of suggestion using language at its intense and most magical form. I use the Malay and English language by shaping them into special patterns to bring out more pleasure and meaning. Sound is one the most aspect of how poetry should be formed. I design poetry to be read aloud in rhythm with flow and movement. Rhythm is a principle of life and complements the pulses around us. I teach nursery rhymes in school to captivate them while in their childhood because my pupils respond to sounds, rhythm and rhymes. It is essential to have a grasp of rhythm in order to write poetry, to project a message or theme. I studied sonnet patterns back in SIM University but never can I restrain myself with its fixed form. Therefore I continue to experiment with variations based on different fixed forms but continued writing based on traditional conventions of poetry writing. As mentioned, rhythm is essential to poetry. It is intrinsic to the musicality of poetry and creation of particular effects. Rhyme schemes support the mood and meaning, giving emphasis to the poem. You can rhyme at the end of the line or anywhere in regular stanza patterns to set up an expectancy of echo which the ear desires to be fulfilled. Half rhymes are created when two rhyming words have different vowel sounds but identical consonants. I personally feel that crafting of images is of central importance in writing poetry to create a picture to be conveyed to the reader’s mind. Use all senses to create imagery, not only sight. As a poet, I can think and feel through my images. Elements that resonate the distinctive voice of my work includes my diction, rhythm, use of the Malay and English language, phrasing, subject matter, vision and my own style of thinking or saying. I don’t really care about how others think of how I think. The funny thing is, many that criticize my work aren’t even writers themselves. My own life is the obvious starting point of my poetry although I often slide inside the mind and personality of another person to project my poem in others’ point of view. Some of my poems are dramatic monologues told from the point of view of specific characters. Allow me to grow. I write many drafts before actually posting my poems to Berita Harian, Literature magazines or writers’ websites. Feel free to discuss or clarify issues based on my writes. My advice to my fellow writers out there, do continue to read poetry in order to advance. Don’t just write and write and then proclaim to be poet. I myself do not consider myself a poet. I’m a writer with the ultimate love for poetry. I thank my college professor, Brendan Buxton for his notes and thoughts. Poetry is my vocation; there is no way to turn back. Elmi Zulkarnain 4th December 2006 |
