LIMITS OF NARRATIVE POEMS

[NicoleMichaels]

For those of us who like to write narrative poems, what are their limits? I just posted one that, it could be argued, is prose ragged right. I fought with this thing for days. Decided to post it as a poem, but maybe it's a flash fiction piece, or the first page of a short story. Either one would be a departure for me. Curious about others' thoughts on telling stories in our poems.

[Amie]

I think the accusations of "that's not poetry" come from two sides:
a) those who think poems need to rhyme and have punchy meter (nit this forum)
b) those who see a mess of prose with lines breaks, that simply tells you the obvious and is not enjoyable to read (possibly some of this forum?)

I'd hate to see people abandon or hesitate to share good work, so maybe allow that there is a hazy area between flash fiction and poetry sometimes, and post the things you'd like feedback on? (Or would simply like to share)

[Dave]

Surely it is a simple matter. A comment is a comment not a truth. So if a poster states that they think a piece is not poetry - accusation is very loaded language - then the poet should have the bottle fo considdr and make their own decisions rather than be discouraged as if that poster was right. What is poetry or art are fun questions to ask but void of concrete answers. Flash fiction is just hazy/ lazy/ trendy, oh who knows?

[Wren Tuatha]

I'm glad to see this topic here. Hi, Nicole! I have to say I really don't prefer narrative poetry. Just as a reader, I often think, "this should just be a story." I'm just talking about my own preferences, of course. I love poetry where the images do all the heavy lifting. That said, I do see some narrative poetry getting published, and sometimes I read one I thoroughly enjoy. 

I edit a journal and I get a lot of submissions where the poet becomes burdened and led by the narrative. The work becomes too sentency and the attitude/personality of the narrative voice starts to become the star of the show, rather than the images. That helps it feel more like prose to me.

In my own writing, I often have a first draft that's more narrative. After I see what I've got, and think about where I want to go, I work away from that. Just my own sensibility.