How important is music to your poetry?
This has been on my mind lately. I’ve been listening to singer-songwriter Madi Diaz’s new album A History of a Feeling and was wondering if someone were handed the lyrics, say for the title track, could they tell it was song lyrics or would it read as a poem? Does it matter? The line between the two can be blurry. I’ve been considering how a songwriting course might enhance my poetry (I dabble in piano here and there). There is strong musicality in both poetry and song—rhythm, rhyme, tone, pauses, pacing, repetition. Even though I rarely read my poems in front of audiences, I always try out lines aloud as part of my writing process. I turn them over my tongue as I’m driving or going for a walk. A poem has to work for the ear.
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