Why Read Poetry: A guest post with Amy Brecount White

Hello! Welcome to the last stop in Amy Brecount White's Blog tour for her new novel Forget-Her-Nots, which released in stores March 2nd, 2010! I am lucky enough to have a guest post from Amy today giving her thoughts on Poetry, something very close to The Tainted Poet's heart.

Welcome Amy!

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Why Read Poetry?


To start, let me say that I ADORE the name of this blog. The Tainted Poet. It’s so mysterious and full of possibilities. It makes me think of Lord Byron. It would also be a great name for a novel. Anything in the works, Eli? :) Now to the point….

Anyone who’s paid any attention to my blog or read Forget-Her-Nots knows that I have a thing for poetry. There are several wonderful poems quoted in FHN, and I’ve also hosted a LoveFlowerPoems contest on my blog (both reading and writing.) But poetry is difficult for lots of people. Sometimes, as with Shakespeare, it can seem like a foreign language. Poems often have to be read more than once to be understood. So why bother straining your brain?

First off, the language itself. Poetry is the tightest, most succinct, most resonant form of expression we have. Poets spin and toss and play with words more than any other writers. Sometimes the words nearly sing, especially if you read them aloud. (All poems should always be read aloud. You won’t get the rhythm and feel of the words rolling on your tongue otherwise.)

Secondly, the meanings. Poems are layered language. The poet has chosen his or her words so very carefully that they have tiers of meaning, which the reader must unfold. Look at this line from a Japanese Haiku poet named Kobayashi Issa (1763-1828).

“In the cherry blossom’s shade there’s no such thing as a stranger.”

On the surface, it’s very simple: one line, 12 words, seemingly straightforward. But what’s Issa really saying? Why can’t you be a stranger standing in the shade of a blooming cherry tree? The more you think about it, the more you realize that it’s about the power of beauty to overcome divisions between us. Wowed by the beauty of a cherry blossom, we reach out to one another to celebrate the fleeting moment. The rains will come and drive the petals to the ground. The hot sun will bake them. The blooms come only once a year, but for that moment, we are attuned to the wonder of the world, and appreciation for its beauty connects us all. All that in 12 words.

You might be wondering, did he really mean to say all that? I believe he did and more. Cherry blossoms have the special significance in the Japanese culture; they symbolize “the transient nature of life.” The Japanese even have a name for group excursions to view the blooms at their peak: hanami. They are also lovely to us Americans. Why else would thousands descend on Washington, D.C. to view the trees in bloom near our cherished national monuments. (I live outside D.C., so trust me, I know.) Find a cherry tree this spring and stand amidst its blooms and see if you feel what Issa means.

Thirdly, poems pack an emotional punch. They contain raw emotional truth. We often refer to poetry as the “language of love,” but it is truly the language of all emotions. Read these lines by William Wordsworth (1770-1850):

“I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er hills and dales.”

Don’t you just know exactly how he feels? Haven’t you felt that loneliness at times? It’s a poignant, moving image.

And anyone who has loved someone can’t help but be emotionally moved when Shakespeare tells his own love in the most famous sonnet ever written that “thy eternal summer shall not fade.” Then he goes on to explain how his own words, the lines of this sonnet he just wrote, have immortalized her beauty and his love for her.

For me, every poem is like a gift. It’s wrapped up in paper and may have lovely bows that I need to untie to reveal its hidden treasure. The most wonderful poems you can unwrap again and again. So here are a few of my favorite poems I give to you today:


“I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” by William Wordsworth. http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/i-wandered-lonely-as-a-cloud/
[Poetic proof for the power of flowers to sway one’s mood.]

“Botanica” by Eve Alexandra. I just discovered this poet this year. I don’t know the whole meaning of this poem, but I could read it a hundred times without tiring of its sensual images and suggestiveness.
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/17113

“Constantly Risking Absurdity” by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. For me, this poem epitomizes the risks and rewards of the writing life in an amazing analogy. So fun!
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/constantly-risking-absurdity/

Come visit me at www.amybrecountwhite.com. And if you like these, I’m happy to recommend more poems I love.

Thanks so much for having me, Eli, in my grand finale for the SPREAD THE FLOWER LOVE BLOG TOUR!! Whew! This was fun.

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Thank you so much for being here with us today, Amy! I LOVED your post!

Make sure to check out or buy Forget-Her Nots here: Amazon.

Also, to keep up with Amy's contest, I am giving you all a Scarlet Poppy! It means Fantastic Extravagance. Make sure you mention you got it from The Tainted Poet. ;)

Make sure to collect a virtual bouquet for Amy's contest, which you can find out more about on her blog! Not only can you find out more about her contest there, but also you can learn the meanings of various other flowers in her "The Language of Flowers" section. Make sure to check it out! http://www.amybrecountwhite.com/.

Vampire Diaries: An Extra's View

So since I live in Atlanta, the primary location of the shootings for Vampire Diaries, I happen to know someone who works as an extra! I asked if he would give us a little insight to being an extra on the show and what it's like and he happily obliged! Thank you Chris! -Eli

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Hey everybody, my name is Chris and I’ve been working as an extra on the series The Vampire Diaries. I’d like to thank Eli for allowing me to do a guest post to tell you guys a little about being an extra on the show and how I feel about vampires.

Being an extra is perhaps one of the easiest jobs I’ve ever done. And it’s also the most fun. As an extra, your job is to make the screen feel alive. An extra is either seen crossing the shot or standing in the background pantomiming a conversation to make the scene look more realistic. When not on set, we go to holding where we pass the time by chatting amongst ourselves, play games, and hang out until we’re called back on set. For the most part, time is usually spent in holding, and sometimes it’s for hours on end. But there are times when we barely get to see holding because of the amount of time spent on set. Because the time on site tends to be a six hours minimum and can go to fourteen hour shifts, you end up making close friends with the other extras. Sometimes you can get lucky and be called to be a stand-in if you look similar in size to the actor needing a stand-in. Also, you could get pulled to be a featured extra if you have the right look for the scene. I was lucky enough to get to do both.

When it comes to vampire traits, I prefer stories that stick with traditional vampire lore. Where vampires can’t go out in the sun, are weakened by lack of human blood, are unable to enter homes without an invitation, and don’t sparkle. I really like that for the most part The Vampire Diaries follows traditional lore. The vampires in this series are able to go out during the day as long as they have on their family crest ring, which protects them from burning in the sun. Stefan, the main character, is weaker than his brother because he refuses to drink human blood, and they must be invited into a house before entering for the first time. The Vampire Diaries does takes liberties with vampire lore just like any other series, but it doesn’t stray too far from general vampire myths.

Guest Post: Ali, The Romantic Scholar!

Today we have another special guest with us sharing her insight on Vampires! Please Welcome Ali, the owner of The Romantic Scholar! Thank you so much for doing this Ali. :)

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Hey all, so my name is Ali. I'm the reviewer from The Romantic Scholar, and I'm so thrilled to be a guest poster on Eli's page. As you have probably guessed by my blogs name, I am very big into stories that have a little romance in them. But I do love fantasy and supernatural genres. I'm so glad I get to share my two bits on vampires with you!

Vampires. So many different stories, so many inconsistencies. But who’s to judge what’s right and what’s not? I guess no one really can. Since there is no true story as to how vampires come about and what they are like and everything is based on myth and superstition, authors have been able to take liberties and put their own spin on the supernatural race. Take Stephenie Meyer for example: her vampires were able to go out in the sunlight without receiving harm and they glittered. And her “vegetarian” vampires were not weakened due to the fact that they did not drink human blood. Not to mention that they could enter a dwelling without an invitation. They were almost human. Which in a way worked, because it made the relationship more believable, but it made it harder to see them as vampires. So many people did not like that she took those liberties. But who’s to say that all of her ideas are wrong? Another vampire story? It all comes down to a matter of preference.

I for one don’t like all of the liberties that Meyer took. Because of all of the other things out, it just seemed odd that her vampires had no major weaknesses aside from bloodlust. I prefer the vampire who has limits. Who is no longer human, although can retain shreds of humanity. Take Darren Shan’s Cirque du Freak for example: Darren is a half-vampire once he is turned. He can still go into the daylight. He doesn’t have to live off of human blood yet, but it makes him weak not to. It’s so much more believable that they are a different species and not just some super human. Then you have The Vampire Diaries. In this series, vampires can go out in sunlight, but only if they have a special ring on. They can survive off of animal blood, but it weakens them. They are unable to enter a dwelling unless invited in. These are very similar points to another vampire craze: Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In Buffy, the rules are the same: except for there is only one ring and no retained humanity except for in Angel who has a soul.

There are so many different takes on vampires out there. And each person has his or her own preference. I don’t think it’s fair to say that others are wrong, but with the amount of variances, it’s not so hard to do. I think that aspects of vampires are going to continue to evolve. It’s become inevitable. So let’s just see what’ll come of it. ;)

-Ali