Can You Tell?

[Guest therisa]

Often wonder, if people can tell apart a male author from a female, from the style and tone of their work, in regards to poetry. I know, all of us, whom identify ourselves as trans, have life experiences, in both genders, whether we want it or not. If you had to read anonymous piece of poetry, could you tell the gender of the writer? Just curious, how the results will turn out. Below, I have supplied a poem, and would like you to guess their gender.

Untitled

Gently the rain fell, covering me in its' tender caress,

As each drop touched my soul to it core,

Striping a little bit of my past from me,

Like the incoming tide, which erases the footsteps on the beach,

Leaving me with no past, just an unknown future.

A blank canvas waiting for the artist to start drawing upon,

Gone are the bitter memories, washed away by the merciful downpour,

Giving hope, a chance to bloom in an once barren meadow,

A blooming rose, that survived the cleansing flood,

Bright red splash in an otherwise bland vista,

A defiant challenge to all that life can throw at it.

Next Saturday, November 6th, I will provide my answer, to the gender of the writer.

Good luck,

therisa

[Carolyn Marie]

Lovely poem, Therisa.

I'm going to guess female, primarily because of the choice of words and phrases.

Carolyn Marie

[Guest Tiaria]

Nice poem, therisa,

Poems, as any art, do provide some insight, as to the artists' person, feelings, etcetera.

As for the poll: I'm afraid I cannot hazard a guess, so I answered 'don't know'. I just do not have that much insight, never had. I am just not that much of an art person...

Tiaria

[Guest miss kindheart]

I read allot of poems, But i have never thought to think of the poets true gender.

Not sure how to even judge a thing like that

Either way it is a nice poem

<<< hug >>>>

vanna

[Guest therisa]

I'm going to guess female, primarily because of the choice of words and phrases.

Carolyn Marie

Interesting, Carolyn.

That's ok, Vanna and Tiara. I was just wondering, if something like gender, can come through, in a poem.

therisa

[Guest miss kindheart]

That's ok, Vanna and Tiara. I was just wondering, if something like gender, can come through, in a poem.

therisa

I am sure it can if the poet wishes it to.

Maybe like they can tell a persons gender by their handwriting

Any way keep us a thinking

<<< hug >>>

vanna

[Guest therisa]

Vanna

[Flint]

Well I feel it may be a sensitive nature on such a site for me to out right guess here. So I'll keep it in mind what I think the gender is and not say it because I do not wish to offend anyone. I will not be replying when you tell us saying what gender the person is saying "yay I got it right" either way, if I do get it right I'll keep it to myself so it's not because I want to cheat. I honestly don't wish to offend anyone.

[Guest therisa]

Last Saturday, I posted a poem, and asked you, the members here, if you could tell the gender of the person, who wrote it. In the following week, I had an interesting conversation, which opened my eyes, to another question, possibly more important that I should have asking, you. What filters, are you using when you read something, which you can’t tell the gender of the writer. Do you look a piece of poetry and search out key phrases that you identify, as being a feminine or masculine writer? What type of mood where you in, while reading it? And other things like that.

As for the piece, itself, it was written March 30, 2007, by me. Exactly 4 weeks after I told my boss to take this job.... At the time, I didn’t realize I was falling back into another bout of depression, which would result in my losing the apartment and forced to used a woman’s homeless shelter, for a month, before I got my current apartment. Thus, the subject of this piece, which was my first poem that I have written, since I left high school, in 1990. Looking at it now, I see so many flaws, i would be cringing, if I posted anything like this now.

This marked the start of my living, life as a woman (pre-hormonal. So yes, it was written by a woman.

[JJ]

One reason I didn't participate was that I thought it was yours which would have prejudiced the answer I felt like it was your cadence and imagery somehow

I'd love to see this done w/ a poem each by a male and female unknown to us.

Hugs

John

[Guest therisa]

Is my writing style and use of cadence that obvious, John?

As for your suggest, it would interesting, if you could find someone that never read on this site, or published before. Got any suggestion, whom you like to test drive this idea?

therisa

[JJ]

You can also use poems in the public domain-there are some out there. I could look when I get a chance.

And I love language-the way words play. Each person has a unique thought pattern that is reflected in their words. So yes-I was pretty certain that was yours. That isn't either a good or a bad thing-it just means that you are uniquely you. Some people can fake it for awhile but it always feels slightly false and eventually like trying to change your handwriting the real person comes out.

Hugs

John

[Guest Elizabeth K]

I am as opinionated as ever here on this one. Male bodied or female bodied, a poet taps into the soul of humankind, if it is true poetry. That essence of our existance is from the female aspect of the Creator - and is felt as that force by either gender.

And so many accepted genuises of poetic creation are male. I think that is because a woman does not have to 'discover' the interconneectivity of the world - she lives it. Men who do discover all this, and express their feelings instead of hiding them, are the master poets. They add that male force of conviction.

We here at Laura's are dual. But our poetry - the best poetry in my opinion - is almost always from a woman's soul.

And when men write male mode poetry? The results are usually rhymed saga and epics. Good in itself, but not what I think of as true poetry. Read Robert Service or Edgar Alen Poe as an example.

My opinion

Lizzy

[Guest therisa]

Interesting thoughts, Elizabeth. May just take you up on your suggested poets to read.

therisa