richyratton

I'm somebody who doesn't read very much poetry, mostly it doesn't do anything for me. But on Skydolphin's recommendation I have had a look at this guy's work and some of it is absolutely breathtaking. Take a look at "My Daughter": http://www.abctales.com/abcplex/viewStory.cgi?s=18449

when a person says *poetry doesnt do anything for me* that just means that they have yet to find something that strikes a chord for them. I could (and often do) say the same about pieces of short prose, but thankfully abctales is beginning to change the way i think. Id agree that some of richy rattons work is very good indeed... "maria was not her name" is excellent.

I just said that MOSTLY it doesn't do anything for me, there have been a few that have got to me. Often it's song lyrics that hit home with me. Re the piece you have picked out "maria was not her name" which is at: http://www.abctales.com/abcplex/viewStory.cgi?s=18461 this one reads very much like a short story and certainly held my interest, but I found it a little bit unsatisfactory in the end because I didn't understand the motivations of the characters: everybody except the narrator seemed to be looking for something but I wasn't sure what. I liked the atmosphere though. I've been to remote bits of Thailand, though not Bali, and sat in bars of various kinds but I didn't really recognize this one. But I can see where I'm going wrong, I'm wanting the poem to be a story, which it of course isn't.

there is a fine and delicate line separating poetry and prose sometimes. I usually prefer to stick with poetry and not change anything to make it a prose just because it might not be a poem for some. When a person feels like a poet and when this feeling is so intense that everything he writes is felt like a poem there is no reason to name it a short story or prose. Verses are very strange sometimes that need to take the shape of a long paragraph. they oblige the poet to conform to their meaning and their purpose, they are hard to manner and dictate their flow. You cannot do much, you simply conform. Inspiration is spoiled once you decide to change something in order not to be misunderstood and badly critisised. your poem or you as a poet? which one is more important then? if you decide to sacrifice your poetic style and your inspiration for being a steadfast artist, you might sacrifice truth. And truth is often the twist that will make your poem a genuine.

interesting that you said that sirat, i emailed richy and asked him the very same thing about *maria* last night, as i too wanted it to be a story.. it reads like it *should* be a story... as you say sky, prose and poetry can be almost indistinguishable at times. i remember robert doing something very similar once, writing a poem that lent itself more to prose.

Thanks all for your comments! With respect to 'Maria', I think what I was trying to do with that (and with most stuff i write) is not necessarily to tell a story, but to express a feeling and a situation as they happen, as succintly as possible, and to leave it open to empathy. Also have tried writing stories and just get bogged down in detail, when all i really want is the core of the issue. Because of this i also write screenplays, which is all about structure and turning points and the bare bones of a story; very similar to poetry i think. As for motivations, hell, I don't understand them half the time! But sometimes you catch yourself in a situation, or hear about something or whatever, and you can't put your finger on what it is exactly that u feel, but you know its there. Cheers richie

cheers Richie! thanks for replying to this thread dear friends :o)