Hitching a ride on memory…

Listening to the radio, I have noticed an interesting “musical consistency.” Not being of musical bent, don’t know if this is a composer’s planned event, but it is a constant…

   Noticed, the first few (as in, as little as two) notes of a song, or instrumental piece, can reveal the identity of the entire piece. Yes, one needs to be familiar with the score in the first place to recall it, but certain features of the opening notes are so telling, the remainder of the progression comes easily to recall. Song lyrics; the most easily recalled, have the catchiest, most direct opening lines…

      “Well, my daddy left (home when I was three…”)

      “On the road again (I can’t wait to…”)

“Hello darkness my old friend (I’ve come to talk with you again…”)

      “Hey Mr Tam- (borine man…”)

Even lines embedded within these songs are many times even more striking than the openings…

   Compare these with poems you’ve read and have some recall of.

      “To be (or not to be…”)

      “Ah Yorick (I knew him well…”)

      “There upon a midnight (dreary…”)

“Sara Cynthia Silvia Stout (would not take the…”)

Now compare them with your openings…

It’s that opening, the very first few beats, words, of a song or poem that grab the readers’ interest. It doesn’t have to be “KAPOW!” gruesome or tactless. But being short, sweet, direct and to the point, certainly doesn’t hurt.

   Wanna know how not to open your poem? Take a quick read through the majority of “narrative poetry” being accepted out there. The long drawn out, soft, unfocused, wasted verbiage used to open the usual piece. Writers think they’re being conversational. “Conversational” is indeed imperative to a successful “narrative” type poem (actually, any type poem needs to sound as if a friend is reciting it to you)—boring and draggy isn’t.

Recall. Instantaneous recall is the success to any piece of writing.

   “Well, my daddy, a man of low morals and even less character, left home, one dark and cloudy day, when I was the age of three…” Don’t think Shel even messed with this type of an opening for the Johnny Cash hit. What do you think?

Max tdc