Rhyme, of course, is the primary culprit. It adds a sing-song quality (sometimes
unintended) to work. Most poetry for
children does rhyme so it doesn’t help perceptions.
But I would argue the vast majority of rap songs are
rhyming poetry and you wouldn’t sit your child down to listen to Eminem. There are scholars who study Shakespeare’s
work and I couldn’t accuse them of childish study.
Recently, it also came to my attention that people are
denouncing concrete poetry as strictly “for kids”. Now, I understand the inclination to do this
but don’t. Just don’t. The image part of the poem is an enhancement
to draw you in before you even begin to read.
Not everything with pictures is for children.
I wish I could say the folks putting these forms of
poetry into one box were not educators/editors/publishers/poets but that’s not
the case. Even industry veterans are
decrying the “childish forms”. I thought
the age group for a poem was dependent upon the subject matter and how it is
presented and, even then, it’s not always set.
Never let someone tell you what to write or how to write
it.
I think haikus could definitely be for children. I guess I just don't know enough about poetry to offer much feedback on this important question.
ReplyDeleteI think poetry can be for anybody that enjoys reading it.
ReplyDelete