by Kevin Burton
Prose and poetry share a bookshelf without rancor or squabbles. Each has a place, and then there is a place shared.
There is an understanding.
You know and appreciate them for what they are. Each is comfortable within itself. But they are pleased for the company of the other, for the contrast, for the synergy.
Poetry is the ribbon that accents a girl’s hair. Prose is the belt that keeps a boy’s pants from falling down.
Poetry is the wailing sound of a train in the distance. Prose is the pistons making sure there is motion, progress. On task, on time.
“Prose and po-e-try, sittin’ in a tree…..” can work, but it’s complicated. Because poetry is the tree (oh my!), reaching its loving arms to the boundaryless heavens, disdaining limits, free!
Prose is the roots. The foundation of all things. The steadying force, gathering nutrients, deploying them to the good.
So it is, in a quiet house, on a quiet street, on a Sunday afternoon, in a quiet Midwestern town. Me and my bride, my bride and me, prose and poetry, writing our quiet love story.
Sometimes, it writes itself.
“The language of poetry tends to be more condensed and figurative. Poets often use tools such as metaphor, simile, and alliteration to enhance the emotional resonance of their work,” grammar.com writes.
“In prose, while figurative language may also be employed, the focus is on clear and accessible communication, making the intent and meaning readily understandable to a wider audience.”
“In terms of purpose, poetry often seeks to explore complex emotions, provoke thought, or inspire beauty, while prose serves primarily to inform, narrate, or express ideas in a more straightforward manner. Poetry invites interpretation and emotional engagement, whereas prose tends to prioritize narrative, development and factual communication.”
They are different and should not downplays their differences. But prose and poetry do not invalidate or contradict each other.
Poetry is the smell of bread baking, as you drive by the Wonder bread factory. Prose is the ovens, the instruments, the dials, the precision.
There’s poetry in the holding of hands, and there’s prose. Both I’d say. Both poetry and prose in the wedding vows too.
And so it is for me and my bride, my bride and me, indivisible.
Poetry is the sound of a church bell and prose the sound of a vacuum cleaner or a garbage disposal. One portends the other. Each has its place.
The sound of a door closing, the click of a lock at the end of a day. Closing in the us-ness, shutting out the other-ness. Have not prose and poetry met again?
The shared poetic dream of a well-tuned marriage unit is anchored by 100 to-do lists, is it not?
“In conclusion, while poetry and prose are both vital forms of expression within the literary domain, they serve different purposes and employ different techniques to convey messages,” grammar.com writes.
“Poetry’s rhythmic and aesthetic qualities create an emotional and immersive experience, while prose delivers its content through clarity and narrative focus. Understanding these distinctions enriches our appreciation of literature and enhances our ability to engage with texts from diverse genres.”
Two methods, one goal. Two styles, one heartbeat.
If you live long enough, life and love settle in like a soft summer breeze, and you figure out that the love song doesn’t have to rhyme all the time, it just has to love.
And this of course, is my love song for my bride, 14 years in the making, every day in the air.
Thank you Jeannette and I thank God for you. Happy anniversary!
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