Christopher Vera’s Mystic Nebula

Source story: Culture of Fear: Poetry Professor Becomes Terror Suspect

These days, the flag of victimhood is waved vigorously and from the top of every hill.

A leader would have seized this opportunity to educate the suspected informant, perhaps even arranged a formal meeting with the ROTC. Tell them who we are, what we do. Talk about your culture. Tell them why you love the United States. Bring some of your favorite foods (no one training for the military ever passed up a good meal!)

By reducing ignorance, we minimize fear. And we may even learn something about the culture of others in the process, making friends with people we seem to prefer to think of as enemies.

That’s what a poet would do. That’s how to carry the flag of brotherhood and quash this so-called “culture of fear”.

John H. Reid of the Tom Howard Poetry Contest recently described three qualities of successful poems to poets entering contests:

“1. An unusual, intriguing or striking title.

2. An attention-grabbing opening line.

3. A powerful closing line.

It also helps to send in a number of varied entries. I recently read eight sonnets sent in by a talented contestant. Unfortunately, it seemed to me that the sonnet was not quite the right form for these particular poems. The effort required to fit the poet’s ideas and imagery into 14 lines made the poems themselves seem strained and awkward. The poet would have done much better to have adopted a freer style of verse.”