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| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| Compare poems | 1/27/2012 | Linda Sue Grimes -- Classic Poetry Aide |
| Q: I need help for a forensics entry. I have to compare and find similarities between these two poems: ... A: My article. "Robert Frost's Tricky Poem: Analysis of 'The Road Not Taken'" at ... | ||
| Help me with poetry | 1/21/2012 | Andrea Dean Van Scoyoc |
| Q: I asked you some time ago whether a poem i wrote in iambic pentameter was ok and you said it was ok. ... A: Greetings, Rahul... Try this...just one word removed from line two and a small alteration to one ... | ||
| Poetry to approach to song writing | 11/25/2011 | Andrea Dean Van Scoyoc |
| Q: I'm doing a research on lyric writing, and the use of poetry as an approach to it. I've asked one of ... A: Rodrigo... It's easier to write song lyrics if you are adept at writing poetry. But, that's not to ... | ||
| Poetry to approach to song writing | 11/25/2011 | Linda Sue Grimes -- Classic Poetry Aide |
| Q: I'm doing an investigation on the use of poetry to approach, or craft lyric writing. The research ... A: For the beginner, I think it does not matter whether the target poem is free-verse or not. What ... | ||
| Poetry to approach to song writing | 11/25/2011 | Linda Sue Grimes -- Classic Poetry Aide |
| Q: I'm doing an investigation on the use of poetry to approach, or craft lyric writing. The research ... A: You're welcome! I think rhythm is more important than rime (I prefer using the older form "rime" ... | ||
| Poetry to approach to song writing | 11/25/2011 | Linda Sue Grimes -- Classic Poetry Aide |
| Q: I'm doing an investigation on the use of poetry to approach, or craft lyric writing. The research ... A: Songs and poems are similar. In general, most songs might be considered "poetry light." There is a ... | ||
| Poetry indentification | 10/21/2011 | Ted Nesbitt |
| Q: I think the following may be attributed to W.B.Yeats, but I cannot remember the poem or if it is ... A: The poet is, indeed, William Butler Yeats. Here is the complete poem. He Wishes for the Cloths of ... | ||
| HELP REVIEW | 10/4/2011 | Andrea Dean Van Scoyoc |
| Q: I read through your profile and I am a little confused about your concept of poetry. I was never a ... A: Greetings, O'seun and thank you for your question. Not sure where your confusion lies. I don't ... | ||
| quote | 9/15/2011 | Linda Sue Grimes -- Classic Poetry Aide |
| Q: I prefer no one's company more than my own. H.L. Menken? Thank you for your time. Steve A: That doesn't sound like Mencken. Seneca said, "The primary sign of a well-ordered mind is a man's ... | ||
| finding poem by unknown author | 9/13/2011 | Ted Nesbitt |
| Q: in the poem it mention about taking time to read a book or pat adog also about reaching for the ... A: I don't know if this is the right poem, but it has all the elements you mentioned. It is titled, ... | ||
| rhyme schemes | 9/2/2011 | Linda Sue Grimes -- Classic Poetry Aide |
| Q: is this true or troll - "Btw if you look through literary magazines you will find that poems with a ... A: It's mostly troll. While it's true that much contemporary poetry is unrimed, it is quite inaccurate ... | ||
| poem structure | 8/26/2011 | Andrea Dean Van Scoyoc |
| Q: In an A - B - C - B rhyme scheme, do the second and fourth lines need to be of equal amount of ... A: David... As I told you before, you're putting far too much stress on your poem being "correct" in ... | ||
| identify poet from lines | 7/23/2011 | Linda Sue Grimes -- Classic Poetry Aide |
| Q: The lines I know are "Of all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, It might have been A: Charles, Those lines are from John Greenleaf Whittier's "Maud Miller": ... | ||
| Poetry of Tennessee Williams | 6/23/2011 | Linda Sue Grimes -- Classic Poetry Aide |
| Q: I have read that the poem, that later became "Nonno's (Grandfather's) Poem" in "The Night of the ... A: The short story title is the same as the play. A copy of the short story appears in Tennessee ... | ||
| Need a copy of this poem please | 6/18/2011 | Linda Sue Grimes -- Classic Poetry Aide |
| Q: The Poem is by George R. Sims and is called "Mrs 3 Doors up" I do hope you can help me. Many thanks ... A: "Mrs. Three Door Up" is not a poem: ... | ||
| The use of "ne'er" in modern poetry | 6/15/2011 | Andrea Dean Van Scoyoc |
| Q: If someone is writing poetry, is it O.K. to substitute "never" for the Shakespearean "ne'er", even ... A: Greetings, Xavier and thank you for your question. Unfortunately, poetry is NOT what it used to be ... | ||
| author of this poem | 6/8/2011 | Andrea Dean Van Scoyoc |
| Q: Yet this inconstancy is such As you too shall adore;I could not love thee, dear, so much,Loved I not ... A: Tricia...though my profile plainly says that I don't answer these types of questions, out of ... | ||
| Clancy of the Overflow vs Ballad of the Drover | 6/7/2011 | Linda Sue Grimes -- Classic Poetry Aide |
| Q: What is the poem Clancy of the overflow by banjo Paterson about?? what is the poem ballad of the ... A: The speaker in "Clancy of the Overflow" romanticizes the life of a cowboy (drover) in the Australian ... | ||
| Night of the Iguana poem | 5/18/2011 | Linda Sue Grimes -- Classic Poetry Aide |
| Q: Linda; I ran across your version of the poem written for the movie Night of the Iguana today and ... A: You are correct that the version of Williams' poem that I placed on allexperts does contain those ... | ||
| apology... | 5/14/2011 | Ted Nesbitt |
| Q: I apologize on behalf of whoever was so callous as to not acknowledge the time and effort which [all ... A: I wish more people thought like you do. Many of the poetry questions I get involve trying to ... | ||
| Cameos of Memory | 5/6/2011 | Ted Nesbitt |
| Q: I recall this poem having an anonymous author when I initially found it in an older book in the ... A: The poem was written by the Christian, inspirational poet, Helen Lowrie Marshall. The Library of ... | ||
| Poetry | 5/1/2011 | Ted Nesbitt |
| Q: Which american poet is called home 'spun philosopher' and by whom? A: The term "home spun philosopher" means that the poet's skill and inspiration do not come by way of ... | ||
| looking for a poem and author | 4/24/2011 | Ted Nesbitt |
| Q: The last lines go something like: You are not in this world to live up to my expectations and I am ... A: The poem is by Frederick Perls, a German psychoanalyst who developed and popularized Gestalt ... | ||
| The Ballad of the Reading Gaol | 4/20/2011 | Linda Sue Grimes -- Classic Poetry Aide |
| Q: Excuse me Miss Linda...I just want an analysis of the use of metaphors and similes and so ... A: "Hands of lust" metaphorically refers to killing in the heat of passion. "Hands of Gold" means ... | ||
| Words of a poem | 3/31/2011 | Ted Nesbitt |
| Q: In the late 1950s a poem titled "The Lonely Biltong" was submitted to The Star. The last lines went ... A: I was able to find the complete text of the poem, but the author is listed as "unknown." Here are ... | ||
| English Poem question | 3/14/2011 | Linda Sue Grimes -- Classic Poetry Aide |
| Q: In the poem Daughters, 1900 by Mariliyn Nelson "Pomp" is probably: A. the cousin B. a stranger C. ... A: Considering the title and the following stanza of Nelson's villanelle, you should be able to answer ... | ||
| The Little Quaker Sinner | 3/10/2011 | Ted Nesbitt |
| Q: Please allow me to say 'thank you' as I have just found you have already responded to the question I ... A: It's always a pleasure to locate something missing, especially if it has been missing for a long ... | ||
| Unstressed and Stressed Syllables | 2/23/2011 | Linda Sue Grimes -- Classic Poetry Aide |
| Q: How can i distinguish the difference between unstressed and stressed syllables? A: The stressed syllable receives the most emphasis or accent. For example, let's compare two words: ... | ||
| My Poem | 1/21/2011 | Andrea Dean Van Scoyoc |
| Q: I've been writing poetry for years, 7 actually, but how do I get it published? And am I good enough? ... A: Greetings, Tasha and thank you for your question. Poetry is something that most people can have ... | ||
| poetry | 1/13/2011 | Andrea Dean Van Scoyoc |
| Q: I am trying to put together a nice and very special present for my friend for her birthday. I was ... A: Greetings, Joe and thank you for your question. What a lucky person your friend is. When writing ... | ||
| driving me nuts! | 12/14/2010 | Linda Sue Grimes -- Classic Poetry Aide |
| Q: In my early teens I loved poetry, but there was this poem that i was especially fond of. I believe i ... A: The poem you describe is possibly "Ad Finum" by Ella Wheeler Wilcox: ... | ||
| Can I call a candle "wick" a "wicker"? | 12/9/2010 | Andrea Dean Van Scoyoc |
| Q: I'm writing a short poem, and it doesn't completely rhyme, but I was hoping I would be able to call ... A: Greetings, Chantelle and thank you for your question. That is one of the downfalls of modern ... | ||
| The Indifferent - by John Donne | 12/4/2010 | Linda Sue Grimes -- Classic Poetry Aide |
| Q: I am trying to analyze The Indifferent which I so far understand to be along the lines of a satire ... A: In the line, "Let me, and do you, twenty know," the speaker is suggesting that it is virtuous and ... | ||
| Poem Help | 11/30/2010 | Andrea Dean Van Scoyoc |
| Q: I'm trying to write a poem and would like your advice. Apologies as I have no training and don't ... A: Not a problem, Paul. I'm not known for my tact and I certainly don't sugar coat anything, so if ... | ||
| Publishing or contests | 9/6/2010 | Andrea Dean Van Scoyoc |
| Q: i am 15 and love poetry things that attracts me or irritates me are often found in my poetry but ... A: Greetings, Ishan and thank you for your question. There are many poetry contests and sites that ... | ||
| Poem I wrote | 8/17/2010 | Theresa Harvard Johnson |
| Q: what do you think? i wrote it 2 years ago (i was 16) and i just found it in an old journal. I had ... A: Greetings Jessica, Thank you for sharing. This is my opinion. Your poem is a powerful expression of ... | ||
| Children's poem by George Cooper | 8/4/2010 | Ted Nesbitt |
| Q: do you have the words to a poem by George Cooper that starts out as: "Twenty little froggies went to ... A: David: I have spent HOURS trying to discern the original version [there are several]. I came in to ... | ||
| Looking for words to a poem | 7/28/2010 | Theresa Harvard Johnson |
| Q: The poem starts "Do not stand at my grave and weep" What is the entire poem? Thanks A: Greetings Hope, This poem is entitled,"Do Not Stand At My Grave and Weep," by Mary Frye. After ... | ||
| "Roy Croft" / Erich Fried | 6/29/2010 | Ted Nesbitt |
| Q: I'm so sorry you encountered a questioner who failed to acknowledge your efforts. If you get this ... A: I have been struggling with Erich Fried and his "I Love You" poem. I can find no authoritative ... | ||
| Thank you | 6/27/2010 | Ted Nesbitt |
| Q: I have been researching for only 2 minutes, and want to thank you for all those who have not. What ... A: Language -- or our acceptance of words that used to be off-limits -- has certainly changed. I have ... | ||
Answers by Expert:
Top Expert on this page
Please be aware that my field of expertise is "Classic Poetry." I do not study and write about Hallmark-Card type verse, doggerel, or pornographic versification.
I assist students/readers in understanding the poems most widely studied in high school and college English classes, for example, Emily Dickinson's "Because I could not stop for death," A. E. Housman's "Loveliest of trees," Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken," W. B. Yeats' "The Second Coming," Rabindranath Tagore's "The Journey," Robert Hayden's "Those Winter Sundays," Dana Gioia’s "Words." I direct students/readers to online poetry analyses and/or research sources.
I do not dispense advice on creative writing issues, such as critiquing poems or offering ideas for poems.
2003 - present AllExperts volunteer
2007 - present Topic Editor and Feature Writer for Poetry at Suite101.com
Education/Credentials
1967 Miami University, B.A. Major in German
1971 Ball State University M.A. German/English
1984 Ball State University M.A. English
1987 Ball state University Ph.D. American, British, World Literature, Rhetoric and Composition

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