Doggerel

[Don H]

DOGGONE IT ALL !

Doggerel may be verse or worse,
But at least it's free
From those arty critics
Steeped in snobbery.

So peasants all let us rejoice !
And write as we see fit.
Who cares if the result is not -
A Gem of English Lit.

The Ancient Cynics had it right
Lives like dogs they led,
Howled about pretentiousness,
Honest Truth was all they sed.

This poem it is doggerel
That much I do concede,
If you don't like it, that's too bad,
It's done for fun, not greed.

This canine cantata has no aim
Only a minor point of view,
Appealing to the masses,
Not just the Chosen Few.

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[Don H]

Why I favour "doggerel" is that anyone who wants to write "poetry" should
start off free of any inhibitions - write any old stuff - and write solely
for your own satisfaction. If other people happen to like it, then OK, but
do it initially for your own pleasure.
If inspiration is lacking, then pick any subject (like a painting class told
to draw/paint "still life",eg. a bowl of fruit).
This is what I did with "The Human Candle" - "alright, I'll make up a poem
about a candle". If it turned out to have allegorical implications, then
that's just what happened. I don't really care if anyone else likes it or
not. But this is not to say it wasn't critically examined by me and
"improved upon". Poetry can be fun - if you do it for fun.
Study the masters - Tennyson, Wordsworth, etc., and the technical aspects.
Alexander Pope, too.

"Master of Iambic Pentameter,
Was English poet, Pope, Alexander."
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[Don H]

Doggerel at least frees us from too many inhibitions, as illustrated by the
following (I can't remember who the author is) -

A centipede was happy quite, until a toad in fun,
Said, "Pray, which leg comes after which?"
Which raised her doubts to such a pitch,
She fell exhausted in a ditch,
Not knowing how to run.
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