“Yes, And” to cross the divide

The universe is made of stories, not of atoms. -Muriel Rukeyser, poet and activist (15 Dec 1913-1980)

A nice sentiment, but a rather negative anti-science tone, which merely continues the unnecessary and unproductive divide between the “hard” and “soft” sciences. Muriel could have written: The universe is made of stories AND of atoms.

The existence of stories does not exclude the existence of atoms. And vice-versa.

It is kind of a nice story, how the idea came about. As Kelly said, we have stories because we have atoms.

Formulas for Poetry

the next time you hear people describe something as poetic, ask them if they don’t really mean formulaic

the lists below are from Wikipedia

A
Action (literature)
Anacreontics
Antilabe
Antistrophe
Arlabecca
B
Ballad
Balliol rhyme
Balwo
Blank verse
Blason
Bosinada
Bouts-Rimés
Bref double
C
Canto
Carmen (verse)
Chant royal
Cinquain
Clerihew
Cobla (Occitan literary term)
Copla (meter)
Couplet
Cumulative song
Cumulative tale
D
Décima
Dinggedicht
Dodoitsu
E
Elegiac
Elegiac couplet
Elegy
Envoi
Epode
F
Fixed verse
Free verse
G
Ghazal
Gogyōshi
H
Hainteny
Heroic couplet
Heroic verse
Hudibrastic
Humdrum and Harum-Scarum
K
Kantan Chamorrita
L
Lục bát
M
Monostich
N
Nonnet
O
Octonary
Ode
Olonkho
Oríkì
P
Palinode
Pantoum
Pantun
Paradelle
Pathya Vat
Pentina
Poetic closure
Poetic Meter and Poetic Form
Q
Quaternion (poetry)
Quatorzain
Quintain (poetry)
Quinzaine
R
Ragale
Recueillement
Rhyme royal
Roundel (poetry)
S
Saturnian (poetry)
Sestet
Sevenling
Sijo
Silva (Spanish strophe)
Sisindiran
Skolion
Slavic antithesis
Song thất lục bát
Stanza
Stichic
Stichomythia
Strophe
Syair
Synchysis
T
Tanaga
Tanka (poetry)
Tanka in English
Tanka prose
Terzanelle
Thai poetry
Thanbauk (poetic form)
Tristich
Tweede Asem
U
Uta monogatari
V
Villanelle
Virelai nouveau
Y
Yadu (poetry)

And if this isn’t enough there are even more, and more, and more, and more

Pussy Riot

i try soups
Suitor spy strips you, purist soy! 
Spits your sirup toys.
Pits yours, Tipsy Sour.
I roust spy; Spry I oust!
Yo, strip us!
Yo, strip us!
Yo, strip us!
Out, sir spy.

Formulaic vs. Poetic

The difference between the poetic and the formulaic is that you haven’t figured out the formula for the poetic yet.

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What is it?

Flo eminates from the kitchen.
Grub is collated frantically.
Foxy lemmings kite checks.
Worst Oma eliminates four tiny kittens.
Bald Mary stems collegial fraternizing.
The rebar knows kind chicks.
A kangaroo taps foul Tibetan koans.
The wild bran challah collective failed.
We all got tan in Kay’s chalet.
The tilted atrium failed the kinetic colloquial festival king’s child.