Patricia Hubbell. Black Earth, Gold Sun. Marshall Cavendish, 2001. City Kids. Marshall Cavendish, 2001.
“Prose = words in their best order; Poetry = the best words in their best order”—Coleridge said it, and I believe it. Poetry IS about words—their precision, texture, beauty (and ugliness). Prose is about words, too, but not in the same way. Prose is about the bigger picture. The canvas is bigger and so are the brushstrokes. A good poem, whether narrated by a character or by the poet her/himself, uses words wonderfully, and it uses them to capture specific moments in a fresh way, a way that makes the reader exclaim with delight, “Yes, that’s it! That’s right!”
A good poem may also ask philosophical questions. In its condensed form, poetry gives these questions an immediacy, a great power to startle and grab the imagination. Poetry is great for asking—and sometimes answering—those questions that come to you just as you’re falling asleep.
I’ve not read all the article but I think a ‘good’ poem is memorable and needs to be read out loud. Without those elements, it’s not essentially a poem
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I agree with you about reading out loud.I often find my own poems have tunes.They are songs.Apparently Sylvia Plath made a change in her poetry when she decided that the sound was vital.Thanks for commenting,Mike.I do like to know what others think.Not to mention you are very well read in this field.Bewst wishes always Katherine
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