Writing into a poem and the joy of humorous poetry

You often hear writing tutors talking about writing into a piece. It happens often when you write stories or a novel. This is the part you are working out for yourself what the story is about. You end up with a chapter or two with loads of backstory and 'stuff' you don't need. I admit I'm guilty of doing this!

I also find I do it with poetry sometimes. I've become a bit of a 'just write and see where it goes' person since the time I wrote a poem a day for a year. Often I'd come to the laptop (often they were written directly onto the laptop) with no ideas at all. So, I'd just write words down and eventually I'd find a way through the quagmire into something good (not always - I also wrote quite a lot of rubbish!). Once established I could go back and delete all those lame words, change things. I call this a stream of consciousness, free writing perhaps, a bit like morning pages, though I hated doing those! I've found my own way round it that works for me.

Today's poem started off like that. I had a spark of an idea, just three words that came into my head, a phrase that sounded different and the poem sprang from that. By the time I came to the second stanza I had more idea where I was going, and by the third and last stanza I knew! I then went back to the first stanza and took it apart and re-wrote it. It is now at least a complete poem and I'm pleased with the way it has come together.

Still on poetry, but a book this time. I have just read Brian Bilston's She Took The Last Bus Home, a collection of humorous and sometimes downright silly verse. I love it! I am a big fun of his. I've always written silly verse along side my other poetry. It is light relief, and I'm pleased to have found someone who sees the funny side of ordinary things like me and writes poetry about them. His poetry is often of the laugh out loud variety. I took his book on the train with me and was smiling behind my face protector! Yes, I read poetry on public transport!

I think it's a shame that humorous poetry is often sidelined. We need things to make us laugh in this world. Some, like the excellent Roger McGough, have made it. Pam Ayres is another. Spike Milligan also springs to mind. There are others, of course, and some poets do a mix. Carol Ann Duffy sneaks them in - I always remember her reading the one about a mobile phone. So, let's hear it for a bit of fun in poetry. Right now the world needs things to laugh at.