What is Power Lines to You?

A channel that encourages direct engagement with words.

Go to the rhetoric section to find power lines from everywhere—poems, songs, movies, speeches. Each slideshow gives an example of a powerful line, briefly explains it, then shows a copycat. Put your own copycat in comments.

Really, do it. It’s difficult for sure. When I write up the copycats, they are usually bad, especially compared to the Olympian-level originals. Your copycat will be bad, too. So what? You’re not in the flow now. Later, when you’re in the flow, the effort will pay off. It has for me.

Think of this channel as a gym for writers. It aspires to be helpful, not pretty. Occasionally we will do a video jam, and practice rhetorical technique together. When’s the last time you tried to write 5 metonymies in a row? Maybe you can lead a jam, or be in one. Do anything but lurk.

There will be drafts asking for feedback. Readings too. Tell me if you want to participate.

Strangest of all, there will be rewrites of classic and contemporary writing. Here’s an example where I rewrite a couple of lines from Ode to a Nightingale. Or Hamlet. We should rewrite more.

Rewriting someone else’s poem should only sound strange if your idea of a poem is as something yours, an extension of yourself. Why think that? Are you writing poems for yourself, then giving them away resentfully? Don’t you want them to live on other people’s tongues, in other people’s heads?

You might sense an argument coming on. Yes, I think poetry should be clearer, more public and traditional. You can find arguments to this effect on the homepage.

But don’t take them too seriously. I’m one of those guys who can’t write a poem without writing a manifesto about how all poems should be written. The important thing is to participate. You are welcome here.