[Bards] Writing Poetry (Long)

Timothy Rayburn timothy at elfsea.net
Thu May 29 11:21:56 PDT 2003


Interesting topic Robert, thank you.

Let us be clear to start with, I am a singer who has been known from time to time to set down words on a page and call them poetry.  And over the last several years my credentials as a bard could quite rightly be called into question, as I've been chasing another performance passion of mine, Court Heraldry.

That said, I find that if I force myself to sit down and write, that I am never happy with the results.  They aren't inspired, they lack that foundation of truth, and clever ryhme that makes a good piece.

I find that I must be inspired, but that inspiration is around me should I want to keep my eyes open to it.  There are certain things which I do in the SCA just because I have rarely walked away uninspired by them in the end.  Examples of these are the Champion's Battles at Gulf Wars, Three Kings, etc.  Places where the ideals of our Society are most highly present.

I almost always write either at an event, or more often, immediately after an event.  I'm a slob of a poet and care more for the message than the meter.  I will try to keep rhyme, but often meter is just out the door.  I've studied little to no formal poetry and the only pieces which I have written that follow a period form are those which I've stumbled across because I've mimicked, usually unknowingly, the meter of another piece.

I also find that poetry for me tends to be a writing practice more than a performance practice.  Most of the poems I've written I've never memorized.  Few I have ever performed.  There are one or two which I have memorized, and most of the time I will share the piece with others, but my investment seems to be complete when it is written.  Now, part of this may be due to my lack of attention to practice in the last few years, who knows.

Timothy of Glastinbury
Who does do more than "yell" all the time, I swear.




More information about the Bards mailing list