My first rudimentary observations of poetic style

There were times in my life when I took up pen and paper inspired by my father’s example, who at a certain stage of his life used to write poetry regularly, and sat down to write a few verses. They never came. It seemed the Muse was not disposed kindly towards me. Consequently I gave up.

Much later I came to know through my readings that to create poetry worth the name one has to be visited by inspiration. The urge must be pregnant with a poetic vision. Poetry cannot be born out of a passing mental wish of writing one. It is not something that can be produced to order.

However, over the last few years, I have, for the first time in my life, grown some appreciation for poetry. Before this, I got at the meaning of a poem with difficulty, but the enjoyment of it always eluded me. Now, after reading certain poems or parts thereof, I can feel a thrill. This proves that the real appreciation is growing.  

So I decided to peer closer at the techniques of poetry with the intention of both appreciating and also writing a few lines of my own!

Here are certain general features of poems  that struck me as markedly different from prose.

Rule 1.  Rule of Colour

An unreined use of adjectives that would be considered incompatible in prose writing. 
Eg.    Prose:  colour is associated with material things and light.

         Poetry: colour associated with just anything at all, even psychological  attributes!

         Eg. Golden peace; red anger; violet ecstasy etc.

Rule 2. Assigning human attributes to inanimate nature

A thumb rule is to imagine every inanimate object as a living being with a personality. Consequently one may assign certain verbs to inanimate things.

         Eg. laughter of flowers; breath of flowers; sprint of wind across meadows, etc.

Rule 3. Shortening of words

        Eg. Amid  to  mid;  Awakens   to  awake, etc.

Also modifications of words, like

        You  becomes  thee / ye;  has becomes  hast; does becomes dost; there becomes yon;  are becomes art; morning becomes morn, etc. Similarly liveth, waketh, doeth, etc.

Rule 4. Imaginative adjectives

      Eg. Fresh childhood; ancient joys; eremite silence; earthly hour; lonely flute, etc.

Rule 5. Prepositions out the window

Grammar must take the back seat. Also prepositions must be done away with as much as possible, and even where impossible! Eg. He speak

Rule 6. Subject predicate interchange

Prose: Cannot spoil the sweet meaning

Verse: Cannot the sweet meaning spoil

Rule 7. Use of images

A vigorous use of images peppering the whole body of the poem should enhance the beauty of it. They are stand alone components which, with a little skill and with a little indulgence, can be introduced anywhere in the middle.