On Writing Good Poetry
Long ago a professor said to me, “If it isn’t prose, it’s poetry,”
and I, a student knowing no better at the time, quickly agreed
for a wise teacher’s statements were most impressive to me,
but, wiser now, I would say his assessment is not guaranteed.
For some “poets” fling words on the page without any theme
Some even suggest they are inventing a brand-new poetry style
but their lines of high-sounding phrases are hardly even a meme …
not poetry … these so-called inventive “poets” miss it by a mile!
Some completely disregard syntax, subject and verb agreement,
and punctuation and some even play with alternative spelling,
I’m certain these “wordsmiths” would be quick with an argument
Idiosyncratic strings of words in a line, to me they are not selling.
Genuine, authentic poetry flows from our innermost feeling
written in meaningful terms that can be understood, I believe,
not leaving the readers of poems scratching their heads, reeling,
but providing a clear message we can effortlessly perceive.
With good poetry, one should never have to stop and ponder
the meaning of an obscure reference or a cumbersome phrase,
and sometimes the best, most memorable poem, is a wonder
spawning a new way of thinking, lingering for days and days.
written January 23, 2022
Copyright © L Milton Hankins | Year Posted 2022
Post Comments
Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem.
Please
Login
to post a comment