Hints and tips for kite poets
After many conversations with Billy O'Flagherty on the nature of kite poetry, I
have gleaned enough from the man himself to be able to pass on the following hints:
- Don't hyphenate words across lines, as this would be contrary to
the principle of rigour of form. A kite poem is a kite poem:
some of the finest creative insights are the result of taking the
time to re-orientate the thoughts to allow them to fit its structure;
- In many cases, the centre line contains either the focal point of
the poem, or else it represents a shift in viewpoint between the
"outfanning" and "infanning" sections (e.g. Ode to Malcolm);
- If possible, it's preferable to have the centre line
syntacticly self-contained, as the resulting mirroring enhances the
principle of simplicity of content
(Men called Brian, an example of O'Flagherty's
earlier work, is arguably less successful for breaking this rule);
- The last line can be used to powerful effect to revolutionise the
context of the rest
of the poem (e.g. Cockerels); and
- Ignore any or all of these rules to create a new form of poetry
to your own pleasing.
Go to Kite Poets' Corner