What is dark poetry?
Anonymous
I would say that dark poetry would deal with subjects that are not popular or that are taboo. Again, this is just a proposal of what the word "dark" means to me as it pertains to poetry. We had a member, Maggie, who had an "Excrement Poem" on her bio. This, to me would be dark as it deals with the wastes of our bodies as being metaphors for other types of necessary cleansing. We do not talk about our bowel movements in company....! Many people think Vampires are "dark", however, they are mythological dark and it is in the mythology of the dark that I see poets like Hades come out with very interesting pieces. Hell and damnation are "dark" and so is night and the colour black. A lot of people like the "Goth" movement, that is another way of saying dark. However, this is a WESTERN cultural interpretation. Black is not the colour of death in every culture. So, in effect, dark poetry is very broad term which is really a reflection of what YOU perceive is dark. Just my 2 cents.
Kitty
Kitty
^^ true about the color interpretation differences. In ancient Egypt, black meant good.. It represented the fertile soil that was brought by the Nile. Red was considered the color of evil and chaos, yet in the modern world it's more of a romantic, sensual, good color.
dartford said:I personally prefer a little light
and shade...the dark is best seen
when you stand beneath the street
light and look out into the night...
You pretty much hit this topic on the head. Poetry is life and writing about illuminated bulbs rather than dark corners or vice versa means you're not writing to the true potential of the life you live. No life is with out the bright lights of Disney Land and the dark shades of porno theaters.
and shade...the dark is best seen
when you stand beneath the street
light and look out into the night...
You pretty much hit this topic on the head. Poetry is life and writing about illuminated bulbs rather than dark corners or vice versa means you're not writing to the true potential of the life you live. No life is with out the bright lights of Disney Land and the dark shades of porno theaters.
Anonymous
<< post removed >>
Anonymous
<< post removed >>
Anonymous
Darkness may be as indefinable as art itself. Is it its own entity or just the absence of something? That question can apply to poems too. Is "dark poetry" a thing, or are dark poems just poems without lightness? It's a tough one, probably dependant on individual perception. For me, a dark poem is one with a certain tone of voice. It can be about a sunrise or a bunny or love, but its voice has a dryness, a sharpness, an aknowledgement of dark things and possibilities, perhaps.
I graffitied a Subway wall when the lights went off for a minute; I'm a dark poet, maaaan...
