Poetry Granted

I've been involved in the online poetry groups for several years now. I've read a lot of poems. I've seen a lot of poets. I've read the work of some good ones... and I've read the work of some bad ones. Which often makes me think - what is the difference? What makes a poem good? What makes a poet good? (And I remind all you readers here and now, again, that everything I write here is purely my opinion - take it or leave it, and I mean no disrespect).

I think the main difference between a good poet and a bad poet is simple - why are they writing poetry? Some write for the wrong reasons, and I've met more than a few of those. I've especially come across more than a few men who only write poems just to try and get women. One guy even told me that the only reason he writes poety is, "to melt the panties off of women"... I had to ponder that remark for a bit. Of course, more women read poetry than men, so I can see some of the logic involved. But having that as a motivation for writing just seemed very off to me. (Tho' it's about the same as when rock musicians say they only got into music to meet women - and often their music shows how weak their motivation is then). So I'm not going to say it's a right or wrong thing to do... but from a purely poetical standpoint, I think the mark is being missed.

And that brings me to another sign of what makes a poet good or bad - a good poet will show growth over time. It's like I said in another article on here - writing is like walking, and everything you write is a step. Sometimes it might seem like you're taking a step back, it can be so frustrating, but in truth everything you write is a step forward. Remember, you can even learn from mistakes, so that makes mistakes valuable too! But a poet who writes from a motivation like the one of just trying to meet women, they won't grow. They won't explore. The will write the same kind of stuff, using the same romantic "buzzwords" over and over, for maybe years. And again, that is fine.... whatever floats your boat. But if you write poetry from within yourself, to express yourself, then more has to happen. Steps need to be taken. Growth needs to come.

I believe the only thing a poet truly has to offer the world is - his or herself. It may sound Barney-ish, but put another way, there is only one you in the world. No one else will think, feel, react and imagine exactly the way you do. And this is where originality comes from. When you are ready to stand there and write from your heart, your very soul, and be honest about the things inside of you... the things you see, and desire and feel... then you will find a spring of originality. You will write about things others can relate to, yes... but they will have your flavor, your vision, there as well.

This is where I begin to ache for other poets, when I read their work. I ache for them to tell me more. I know what love is, you don't need to write that down for me... I know the joy, bliss, passion... all the words used... but what I don't know is how does that love look, smell, dress, walk, eat and live for you. What do you see when you think about love? And heck, love doesn't even have to be the subject, but I'm using that as an example... it could be about any subject. What is important tho is that you show from your own personality and life what the subject means to you. Put in a simplistic way, I wish to read more description... but I'm saying "description" in a broader sense than just adjectives. There should be an image that you see, that means something to you, that you can share.

Here's a rough example, from a guy's point of view - writing about watching the woman you love walk across a room... it's easy to say she's smooth, or sways sweetly... but if her walk makes you think about the way smoke curled and twirled effortlessly from your father's pipe til it filled the room with its presence, then you've hit on an image that is unique and personal. And it is also telling me more about you, the writer, than just using adjectives. I have not only learned how deeply this woman's walk affects you, but I have also learned that you had a father who smoked a pipe, and you were young and observant enough to watch how that smoke moved through the air of your childhood home... and now you see it's free motion again in the movement of her legs and hips. This adds depth to a poem, this adds character... it also makes the whole thing more memorable to a reader - you can imagine that the next time the reader sees pipe smoke they'll imagine your lover's walk, or when they see their own lover walk toward them, they'll think, "Yes, I can see what you saw, it's in my life as well."

Writing in this way adds depth, it creates more expression in your work. More interest. I think everyone has a deep library of images and "mental art" from their lives and the things they see around them. If you can connect this with your writing, then your writing will grow and take a big step forward. You'll find more pleasure in what you write, get more of that feeling of "Yes-ness" in your poems. And a reader will be touched deeper by what you share. A reader will get to know you more, share your feelings and passions. They will see through your eyes.

Have the motivation to grow... to explore things in writing. Turn your writing on its head sometimes. Write about things you don't like sometimes... write about grit and dirt and rainwater, bills, taxes and stolen things. There is so much to write about, and you have feelings and images and impressions about them all, if you think about them. The words are there then, waiting to be used. Ready for you to... write.