Gramma's Pickle Barrel by the Lilac Tree

Over the past several years Ferrel Glade Roundy has written 700 Shakespearean- style sonnets on a wide variety of subjects, some serious, some humorous, some in between. 'The sonnet,' he says, 'is marvelous for encapsulating a thought in a memorable way,' which is why he loves to work with this particular poetic form. But of course he doesn't restrict himself just to the sonnet form. He also has written many song lyrics, some of which have been set to music. Since English, unlike German, French, Spanish, and various other languages, is not an easy language to rhyme in, most modern English-speaking poets these days choose to write free verse, which has neither rhyme nor meter. A few poets are candid enough to admit that their opting for free verse is a copout of sorts because with free verse they don't have to concern themselves with the conventional requirements of poetry. Some poets say that rhyming is often stilted and unnatural, but whether or not a rhymed poem ends up stilted and unnatural depends mainly on the poet's level of education, native talent, and imagination. Shakespeare, Milton, Wordsworth, Pope, and numerous others were masters of their craft; and all of them rhymed their poems. Consider for a moment how much of the 'music' would be lost in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' if the poetry didn't rhyme. This is not to say that free verse is not effective, for one need think only of the King James Version of the Bible, much of which is beautifully poetic and in free verse. One would have to get up very early in the morning to top the wonderful poetry of the Twenty-third Psalm, so long as it is the KJV. Later translations lose much of the poetic effect, which is tantamount to removing the fizz from the rootbeer! But one of the biggest criticisms of modern free verse is that many readers find it difficult to remember after reading it. Many in fact read it and don't know what they've read after reading it. This, basically, is why Roundy says he has opted in this c