Free verse meets rhyme at Gulgong

[David Campbell]

The winner of this year's Bruce Dawe Poetry Prize has just been announced...Roger Vickery, with a free verse poem called 'Competition'. What's that got to do with this site? Well, the poem is an account of the author's participation as a "bit player" in the Leonard Teale Memorial Competition at Gulgong. Where he meets up with a "Michael Caine look-alike" and his "door mouse (presumably dormouse) wife", a "man from Ingham, a banana bending balladeer" who tells him that "Poetry should rhyme".

You can download the full poem at: http://www.usq.edu.au/arts/awards/bruce-dawe-prize

It'd be interesting to hear from anyone who was at Gulgong. Does this story about a free verse poet, his father, and the Leonard Teale Competition ring any bells or is it fiction?

Cheers
David

[warooa]

Yeah I like that. - and I think I've met lots of them bloke from Ingham.

[Heather]

I love it. What a great piece of writing. I smile at the thought of that old gent and the pressed tin sky above him.

Heather

[Bob Pacey]

An interesting read a captivating story but more like a short story then poetry ?

You could do this with any type of narrative could you not ?

Bob

[r.magnay]

While the story is OK, I fail to see how that can be classed as poetry, does that mean anything we write to describe something or someone or an event becomes poetry?......so anyone like to comment on this piece of free verse poetry I just wrote?.....

[r.magnay]

...you just outshuffled me again Bob!...

[Bob Pacey]

Yep consider yourself out shuffled Ross


Did it hurt ?

Bob

[Neville Briggs]

What makes this piece unlike poetry ??

[Bob Pacey]

To me it just reads as a rambling narrative of an event Nev . Just because it is put into verses of whatever mix or size does not make it poetic in my opinion .


It kept me enthralled and interested as to where the story was going and I can tell you that is not an easy thing to do as I distract very easily but saying that is comes across as just relation of events .



Cheers Bob

[Neville Briggs]

It is certainly not rambling Bob. The line breaks are carefully chosen, especially in the last stanza. Line lengths are significant in poetry. In prose, the lines start at the left margin ( usually ) and finish at the right margin ( usually ) and the text is usually divided into paragraphs. That is not the case with this piece.
The slight pauses at the end of each line make an impact on the reading and rhythm.
that separate mere prose from poetic expression.

There are a number of poetic devices used in the language of this piece that make it different from prose. For example, why does he use the Italian word sotto ( twice ) he could have said softly, same number of syllables, but a special choice. Why ?
Is that just pretentiousness. Use of a foreign word once might be pretentious, but twice, I don't think so.

I doubt very much that it is simply relating the facts of an encounter, it is more of a modern parable.
Of great significance is the title " Competition ". That in itself points to poetic intent. Is it really just a story about attending an event....or something else, something revealing about the very debate that has been raised here.

I think it is a wonderful piece, deserving of a major prize. I wish I could do as well.