Must Rhyme Draw Blank..Et Criticism? Poem by Jonathan ROBIN

It’s sad to see that rhyming‘s thought redundant
by those who’s bark can’t steer poetic star,
who grudge, shout out, doubt scope, spout words abundant,
seek validation they’d from others bar.

‘Free verse’ disperse if this your fancy tickles
to jar the winter of your discontent,
with fallen leaves, sheaves garnered, unhoned sickles,
with [f]lagging letters, jagged sentiment.

Rhyme carries more than meaning: music, timing,
pattern, play, holistic core explore,
link sense to ‘whither’, ‘whence’, nor mummer’s miming,
nor lead tread led astray by crow’s harsh caw.

‘Rich rhyme’ or ‘prose’ debate is academic
when eight in ten can’t read three thousand words,
what counts is sense and sentiments – polemic
remains the province of small minds in herds

where wherewithal is lacking for expression,
where envy, laziness, or both hold sway,
where turn of phrase is tacky, where aggression
replaces g[r]ace to interface p[l]ace play

with music, sounds send pulses through wave spectrum,
or melt souls’ polar icecaps with accord,
twin chords to cords aligned through playful plectrum
with formal training going by the board.

So be it coral strand or fair complexion,
dire prophesy or cornet candyfloss,
womb, doom and gloom, or in-depth introspection,
imagination's never at a loss.

Thus formal sonnet, couplets rhyming gaily,
with sunny disposition to the fore,
should mirror music, method, context daily
evolving outside all one's writ before.

In pictogram or beaded decoration
in Roman font, linguistic interplay
wed words’ harmonic melody’s elation
responds to tune the key no words may weigh.

To underline, the savant English written
retains both [s]cope and [s]pace for verbal tricks,
like Skelton take the Rap, as playful kitten
re[th]ink link frames for Caxton’s twenty-six.

Where feet and metre merry dance may caper
from poets Lake to Blake, have Don[n]e, imPound
who’d underscore square thoughts – recycled paper!
can hack’s slack style replace paced silver sound?

Each line when spun ends up with tails or faces,
where tale replaces touch much of the time,
such is the paradox which interlaces
arguments around repeated rhyme.

When fish flew, forests walked, alliteration
best impressed stressed message – few could read –
mnemonics reinforced the iteration
recalling legend, fairy-tale or creed. remember

Now pigs think they have wings above their station
maintaining rhyme no R[h]APsody retains
while ‘thinaccessible’ becomes negation
to mask task’s challenge failed, spite p[r]ose fee pains.

If attic muse can ante antic up, wise,
prefer cold garret’s ‘ashes and a crust’
rehearse blank verse predictions s[l]ick, applies
remorseless morse to dash dot hoarse course dust.

For formal frameworks offer waft and weft which
the poet threads with frugal concentration –
as filtered light through prism rainbow span stitch
hues limitless whose wavelength condensation

upon cones, rods, retinal flash achieving,
imagination infinite invites,
refines mind’s focus, - hocus-pocus leaving -
versatile, both stimulates excites.

Of course this discourse could continue weaving
until the cows come home from lea poetic,
winged leeway granting Pegasus, conceiving
examples prosy, - rosy or pathetic.

Our arguement is: structure, sense, in motion
may catalyze emotions more than prose,
in multi-mode dimensions, flowing ocean
flexible, reflexible, that grows

crescendo bringing mind and matter’s code a
springboard from which rich images may bloom,
concluding on note elegant a coda
whose aftertaste no waste-land texts assume.