ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

Yes Zondrae

Stephen made the same point a few posts back. I agreed with him and have given an explanation as to why the two clauses can be linked.

I see in the forum a lot of discussions about punctuation ETC as if it matters.
You write it. You punctuate it as you see fit, or what you think it should read.
People read it, judges read it, as they see it, pauses they will put them where they mentally want them as they wish, and their placement may not be where you wish them to be so why worry.
Because you wrote it to read as you thought best.
Judges are only human trying to do a job as best they can, where as we write for our own self-esteem or ego and hope that we are the best in the competition.
I know that I are not that good just mediocre but you know something I don't give a rats behind, I'll still enter the occasional comp just to help swell the numbers and pay the way.


bill Williams

Onya Bill

Thank you Mal.

What I said I meant I am tiered of people insinuating that you should do this or that they mean well but why should we be conned into doing it the maybe so called right way.
A story or tale is as it says and a poem is a poem they both tell a message or a story and many of us spruik the written word in doing that, there are no commas, full stops, question marks, ETC but only our voice what really is the difference when we all try to interest the population.
I know members will say oh yes but people will read the booklet.
Yes I agree but more people will hear it.
Why you only have to look at the numbers of people that listen to the performance show but at those shows very few people buy the poetry books that are there, and there are plenty there.
Most people prefer to listen to something where there are interesting things that tantalize their mental images, where as often poetry books often do not have enough variety to do that.
A well written poem is fantastic but to many and old grey heads like ours we fall asleep and us oldies are the common buyers of these.

I must shut up for now before I get told of so please think about what I have tried to say in print

Bill williams

Good on you Bill. I have already said that I consider spelling, punctuation and good grammar important for the sake of clarity and that I think it sad that some teachers do not have a good knowledge of such things, but Bill raises something I have been thinking about for some time.
While we all strive to do our best when writing bush poetry, have we now gone too far in the pursuit of excellence? After all, most of us are just ordinary people doing our best to express ourselves in rhyme and metre, but it seems that the bar is now so highly set that the ordinary punter is having his work judged on a level that he/she cannot reasonably expect to achieve. We (in the main) are not tertiary trained academics with a vast knowledge of literature or literary excellence. It seems to me that while we should always strive to do our best and reach an acceptable standard some judges are applying over stringent rules and expectations when if truth be known they may often be acting from a very limited knowledge themselves.
The best should always win, but I think the battler should be given some lee way as well. I often think of bush poetry as perhaps being akin to bush carpentry: not quite plumb and square, but it still does the job!

Agree Vic, all about context. I still maintain that Bush poetry is to litrature what bush carpentry is to fine joinery ...

I have said this before, but at the risk of boring everyone, I think "Bush" poetry is akin to folk music:
the people's poetry; the expression by the people of their experiences in their words and in their own way.
It is no more to be compared with the works of the great poets than folk music should be compared to a concerto, but it is just as relevant and important. To think otherwise is to run the risk of exacerbating what is already happening: the ordinary bloke and the true folk musician is being silenced by "experts" and professionals who are invading the poetry and the folk music arenas.
I do not believe we should not try our best or dumb down our craft but we should recognize the attempts of ordinary people to express themselves and perhaps pay a little more attention to the message of the poem rather than the lack of accurate punctuation.

Bang Bang!! Vic!!
(That is the sound of hitting the nail on the head)

Couldn't agree more. Well put.

Neil

Spot on Vic.

Terry

As one of those "tertiary trained academics" I've used up all my "very limited knowledge", so have nothing left to contribute to this discussion.

David