Bluffer's Guide to Poetry

nstantly acquire all the knowledge you need to pass as an expert in the world of poetry and verse (bluffers might be surprised to discover that there is a difference). Never again confuse an anapest with a distich, a panegyric with a polemical, or a haiku with someone clearing their throat. Bask in the admiration of your fellow soi-disant literati as you pronounce confidently on the comparative merits of a rhapsody and an elegy, or a dactyl with a spondee, and effortlessly learn how to hold your own when extolling the sublime gifts of possibly the greatest poet who has ever lived – William Topaz McGonagall.DO SAY: `Yes, I suppose it’s about time I rediscovered (insert name here), although I’m afraid that I’ve always found him/her a little too deceptive. On the other hand he/she also has a tendency towards the tiresomely reductive. In the past my response to his/her work can only be described as lacklustre . . . but everybody deserves a second chance.’DON’T SAY: `There was a young lady from Bude/ Who went for a swim in the nude/ . . . .’