Our poetry slam (not so much a slam at this point, more of a gentle open mic night in a smoky bar) is garnering some interesting responses.

See the comments below for our latest addition - a poem about bad poetry. I feel the need to respond to said poem, being as I am an ex student of poetry and sharing similar feelings about self-importance disguised as tortured verse. So, here is my contribution to the debate so far:

The Rhymer has written a poem
It's a poem on writing bad verse
Its tone is sincere and heartfelt
And just a little bit terse

Which reflects my own opinions
On the poems my classmates made
When I went to poetry classes
And a spade wasn't called a spade

A spade was called a metaphor
For yearning and love unrequited
So when they offered fiction class
I became extremely excited

But I know I shouldn't critique:
My poetry is really amateur
But so long as you rhyme occasionally
Who cares about iambic pentameter?

The Rhymer lives in Canada
Where Spring is the dawning season
Winter creeps away to Melbourne
For some ungodly reason

So thanks to The Rhymer for writing
And thanks for the winter verse
Judging from some of our entries
Things could get a lot worse