Featured Poets
Poetry is difficult to define. The children's poet David McCord once said poetry was "deeply felt, deeply moving language, written or spoken in a special form." That definition will serve us well. However, it is more helpful to understand what poetry does.
Rather than try to define poetry, many poets have offered their opinions of what poetry should be and how it should affect the reader. The British poet A. E. Housman recited poetry while he was shaving, and if he was so taken by the words that he stopped shaving, he felt he had found a real poem. American poet Emily Dickinson offered one of the most famous tests of a poem: "If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire ever can warm me, I know that is poetry. If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry." Perhaps the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas offered the best advice when he wrote: "If you want a definition of poetry, say, 'Poetry is what makes me laugh or cry or yawn, what makes my toenails twinkle, what makes me want to do this or that or nothing,' and let it go at that."
Poetry helps us stop in the midst of a busy day and notice the things around us--a flower, sunlight on autumn leaves, the sound of gently flowing water, or even the pattern of broken windows in an abandoned warehouse. Poetry also helps us discover our feelings about these and many other things.
Noticing the things around us or the feelings inside us does not make a poem. That takes a lot of work. But noticing is often the first step in creating a poem. The poet will often record his or her observations in a journal or notebook. Then, slowly and thoughtfully, the poet will begin to craft a poem. The poetic process is often long and difficult, but the rewards can be very satisfying.
_1_1A Unique Literary Form --> A Unique Literary Form The most obvious difference between poetry and other forms of literature is the way it appears on the page. As you look at this article, you can see how the lines of print run from one edge of the column to the other. New paragraphs are indented, but each column is practically a solid block of words. Poetry, on the other hand, is written in lines that can be of various lengths. In fact, some poems may have only a word or two in each line.
The poet chooses the best words to write his or her poem. As a result, the language of the poem is compact and economical. It is also rich--laced with comparisons and details that make a scene or a feeling come alive for the reader.
Rather than try to define poetry, many poets have offered their opinions of what poetry should be and how it should affect the reader. The British poet A. E. Housman recited poetry while he was shaving, and if he was so taken by the words that he stopped shaving, he felt he had found a real poem. American poet Emily Dickinson offered one of the most famous tests of a poem: "If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire ever can warm me, I know that is poetry. If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry." Perhaps the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas offered the best advice when he wrote: "If you want a definition of poetry, say, 'Poetry is what makes me laugh or cry or yawn, what makes my toenails twinkle, what makes me want to do this or that or nothing,' and let it go at that."
Poetry helps us stop in the midst of a busy day and notice the things around us--a flower, sunlight on autumn leaves, the sound of gently flowing water, or even the pattern of broken windows in an abandoned warehouse. Poetry also helps us discover our feelings about these and many other things.
Noticing the things around us or the feelings inside us does not make a poem. That takes a lot of work. But noticing is often the first step in creating a poem. The poet will often record his or her observations in a journal or notebook. Then, slowly and thoughtfully, the poet will begin to craft a poem. The poetic process is often long and difficult, but the rewards can be very satisfying.
_1_1A Unique Literary Form --> A Unique Literary Form The most obvious difference between poetry and other forms of literature is the way it appears on the page. As you look at this article, you can see how the lines of print run from one edge of the column to the other. New paragraphs are indented, but each column is practically a solid block of words. Poetry, on the other hand, is written in lines that can be of various lengths. In fact, some poems may have only a word or two in each line.
The poet chooses the best words to write his or her poem. As a result, the language of the poem is compact and economical. It is also rich--laced with comparisons and details that make a scene or a feeling come alive for the reader.
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