Guest Author - Lisbeth Cheever-Gessaman

There exist, gentle reader, sites which focus efforts on publishing volumes of vanity verse, which subsist largely on the understanding that most amateur poets cannot differentiate between what constitutes 'good' poetry from 'not-so-good' work. These sites, if you are not careful, will quickly separate you from your hard-earned cash by underscoring that ignorance in order to line their own coffers, simply by ensuring that you never, ever learn what a good poem truly is.

Sad, but such are the ways of marketing and art, or the lack thereof of it.

The thing about poetry, like children, is that it's a work of the heart, an uttering of ones deepest emotions. This in itself makes it valuable to its creator, who writes with only the intent and hope of inspiring others towards those same feelings and experiences. However, generally one always fancies their own children as more special and important than someone else will - an important distinction. Another is the very real nature of poetry itself - making someone feel something vs. simply telling them how you feel. This is only one thing that differentiates 'good' poems from 'bad' ones.


The No. 1 Easiest Proven and Way to Get There: Gnothi Se Poetry

To badly paraphrase the Greek wisdom saying: Know poetry. How?

By reading poetry.

Nay, don't just read it, breathe it. Assimilate it into every pore of your conscious beingness. Copy favourite poems and fold them into your wallet or pocketbook. Tape them to the inside of kitchen cabinets. Make the neighbors wonder. Stash a few secondhand volumes in the bathroom. Become poetry through the use of its engagement in everything you do.

Mind you, it isn't necessary to read every single poet that ever set ink to parchment (although admittedly, it is not a bad idea to try), but certainly it is important to find at least a few poets whose voice speaks to you, whose words make your knees weak and your toes curl. Whatever resonates within you as beauty, captures your heart and mind and soul. This will be different for everyone, of course, as poetry is a very personal matter of taste. But not unlike music, it's generally easy to find like souls if you look hard enough.

It is important at the beginning to familiarize yourself with as many different styles as you can, thus better enabling you to establish your preferences from dislikes. Taking an Introduction to Poetry class is equally a good idea, but not absolutely necessary. Some very good books exist which serve as excellent tools to start you out, and will be further listed at the end of this article for your perusal.

What you will find in the days following your adoption of this practice is that certain themes will become apparent: A poets voice will become familiar to you, much in the same way you know the sound of a favourite band or musician. You will begin to develop an ear (or eye) for the way certain poets favor certain words and themes. You'll begin to notice the sparcity of unnecessary words and how a poet makes each word necessarily relevant. It will become second nature to you to identify meter and rhythm and cadence.

And of course, by using these principles daily, it will influence your own work and voice, something inherently wonderful to discover as you begin your quest towards becoming a poet, or at the least, a lover of them.

Further Books and References

The Art and Craft of Poetry by Michael Bugeja - currently out of print, but available for pennies through Amazon's used books sellers - is a Godsend for poets of every caliber. Rather than being heavy and self-important, this work examines the inner structure of the essence of poetry, and covers some fascinating themes and aspects of its effect on consciousness to boot. Additionally, it covers the more technical aspects of poetry as well.

The Practice of Poetry, a bit more for the aspiring poet rather than student, is a jam-packed tome of excellent exercises designed to broaden your reach in writing poetry, many of them written by well-known, contemporary poets such as Rita Dove, Maxine Kumin and others. I've not yet known a poet who read this that did not feel this work greatly improved their own skills, including yours truly.