Just a minor notification to all those who actively watch me that I am currently enrolled in a college poetry class and I have a feeling that the fruits of said class will soon be ending up on display here, for outright mockery and rapturous applause. So, if you stop by here on occasion, don't be alarmed by the abrupt drop in quality of my writings, nor its sudden departure from all things Lusternian or Achaean. It's all part of the joy of writing poetry on demand.

To be honest, though, I've already learned a great deal from the first week of class. If nothing else, I've learned that while I still do want to write, I don't ever want to end up being read. There is something about the thought of having a class of thirty studious English majors peering at my work, trying to find some "deep meaning" in it under the watchful eyes of a professor, that just makes me twitch and spasm like an out-of-control marionette. I like my poems and stories being noticed, of course, and I love comments and critiques, but I shudder at the thought of being put under such a microscope and having my words forced into a mold I never intended.

But I have also learned a lot about the importance of meter. For years, I've wondered how poets like Christina Rossetti or Emily Dickinson seemed to write such simple, effortless, yet unforgottable poems, while mine always felt so awkward and ugly. As obvious as it may seem in hindsight, I never realized quite so vividly how much meter contributes to the lilting, song-like feel of a poem. Just writing in common meter makes my poetry much more readable than it was before. It adds a further layer of intricacy over poems beyond simple imagery, rhyming, and significance. It just makes me respect the great poets of history all the more.

Feel free to grade my poems using the classic grading scale of American schools everywhere: A, for excellent effort; B, for satisfactory effort and lack of cookies surreptitiously brought to the teacher after-hours; and C, for needing to improve. Hopefully, it'll be amusing and educational for all concerned.