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A line is a unit of words in a poem, and it can vary in length. According to Oliver (1994), "The first obvious difference between prose and poetry is that prose is printed (or written) within the confines of margin, while poetry is written in lines that do not necessarily pay any attention to the margins, especially the right margin" (35).
An example
Here are three lines from Robert Creeley's poem "The Language":
Locate I
love you some-
where in
Enjambment
What is enjambment?
Enjambment is breaking a line but not ending the sentence. Enjambment is when a poet carries over a sentence from one line to the other.
An example
There are multiple examples of enjambment in these lines from Robert Creeley's poem "The Language." Notice how this single sentence is carried over from one line to the next and over multiple stanzas, and all the lines break abruptly.
Locate I
love you some-
where in
teeth and
eyes, bite
it but
take care not
to hurt, you
want so
much so
little.
Robert Creeley and The Line
One of the masters of enjambment and the line is the poet Robert Creeley. As you can see above, Creeley's line breaks are often startling and unexpected. To find out more about Creeley's unique use of the line (or breaking the line):
Look back at the poem that you wrote for today's Writer's Notebook entry. For the purposes of this assignment, it is best if the poem consists of lines at least ten syllables in length and/or heavily end-stopped lines (meaning that punctuation appears at the end of the line). After you have selected a poem, "Creeleyize" your poem. In other words, rewrite your poem by breaking your lines at unexpected moments (like Creeley does in a number of his poems), creating frequent enjambment and short lines.
Assignment Purpose:
The purpose of this assignment is to revise the line breaks of your poem, exploring ways in which your changes in line breaks and line length open up new meanings and points of emphasis in the poem. It might also suggest possibilities for further revision to imagery and sound.
Some Questions to Consider After Your Revision:
Does the change in line breaks help reinforce the rhythm of the poem? Or does it seem distracting?
Is the change in breaks in the poem appropriate for the meaning of the piece? In other words, does this new form enhance the content of the poem?
What words and phrases stand out to you in this revision that did not stand out before? How does this change the poem?
What additional ways might you revise the poem to explore other possibilities for making meaning, sound or word play?
Example
Take a look at this poem that Ms. Ward wrote, and then read through the revision she made when she "Creeleyized" the poem. Which do you like better?
ORIGINAL POEM
REVISED POEM
Speechless
Expecting the call
yesterday, next week, in a year.
Not expecting
to hear my father’s voice quiver.
no words
eldest son to his eldest daughter.
Skin pulled tight,
knuckles white,
grasping through the phone for a connection
miles, states, ages away,
wanting to reach through the line,
to understand.
First thoughts
do not fly to schedules,
are not overwhelmed with how to tell the little ones,
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