"Know the form but be formless." - Kung Fu proverb
In practicing forms in martial arts one builds the muscle memory to effectively block, kick, and punch. When it is deep serious, the form is useless, as each movement is used in a situation ideal for improvisation.
In poetry the same is true. Know the forms. One who writes poetry is expressing thought or emotion or self with an economy of words. The forms help tighten one's writing without restricting it. It helps the poet increase their knowledge of vocabulary and builds the mind and heart's ability to express itself.
Like the advice given to musicians and songwriters regarding three chords and the truth, we have forms like haiku, shadorma, tanka, sijo, and others that give us few lines and few syllables in which to speak our peace. These exercises force us to push our creativity and our brevity. And in so little space we can expand the hearts and minds of others. It also pushes us, encourages us, to think more deeply about our own thought and feelings. In the beauty of the form, we can bring ourselves to tears of sorrow or tears of joy. We can change and we can grow. Others who read the work might be changed and might grow, as well, as we travel the same path. I believe that the stronger we are in the forms the stronger we will be in the improvisational expressions of our writing.
Comments (2)
Words conform to forms
Meaning melts to feed new growth
Births a nimble mind
@murisopsis: so say we all