What makes a poem good or bad? Although poetry is extremely subjective, there are, nevertheless, some features that can form the basis of a broad classification of whether a poem is good or bad. This article deals with those characteristics.
As far as I am concerned, expect the basic elements you have mentioned, the most important point is that the feelings the poem would contain, which can give rise to the similar feeling the read would have, that is the reason how a good poem touch the nerve of the read. In addition, your life experience do a lot to the success of a poem. :)
Sheena's article:
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art179225.asp I loved your article; I enjoy reading and writing poetry, maybe because I'm a former ballet dancer and poetry is so often rhythmic.
it is true what you say Meredeth. A good poem at many times evokes a sense of familiarity in the reader, thus enabling him/her to connect with it more.
Thank you so much for leaving a comment Susan. encouragement from senior editors like you boost my confidence.
Hi Sheena. This is a very good article you wrote. I write a lot of poetry and am very critical of my own poems -- if the poem does not flow smoothly when I read it out loud, I edit until there is a nice smooth rhythm to it. What could be a good poem can be termed bad if there are words that are difficult for the mind to wrap around it.
A lot of my poetry is free form, yet even that style must have a smooth rhythm to it for a reader to want to go through to the finish. My goal is to get the reader to become part of the poem by evoking their emotions and possibly some nostalgic memories.
Thank you very much Phyllis. It is true what you say. Poetry is one of the more subjective forms of literature, and is therefore, essentially, emotion-related. It is interesting that good poetry is often very subjective, and yet has an underlying universal appeal.
What you mentioned about the smoothness of the poem is very true. After all, we write to be read, and one must have the assurance that people will read the entire poem through and not stop halfway because of some lack.
Hi Sheena, I just signed up for your newsletter. Your article inspired me to revisit and study poetry.
When I was very young, I used to love to read and write poems. People scoffed at me because poetry was impractical and useless. I simply delighted in language and the cadence of words. Rich with life...living energy...poems were like friends. Fun, silly, sad, secretive, feeling friends.
I feel sad when I look back and realize that I walked out of the world of poetry to become a "practical" person.
Thank you Lori. I am glad my article has spurred you on to revisit poetry. How can poetry be useless, when some of our most used quotes are from famous poems?
a good poem can always let us sank into deep thought.
In my role as the meditation editor I like to include poetry that will be easy to remember to get a deeper point across, usually at the foot of a prose article, serving as a summary.
One of my favorite lines is the beginning of my poem, Aligned, in what I call a galopping rhythm in 15 syllables:
Each of us a conscious soul is master of our mind - -
Yes, Clairehobby. a good poem does tend to stay in our minds.
that's a beautiful line susan, though i do not agree with the underlying thought of it
Sheena, I did not wish to offend ...
Oh...i am not at all offended Susan...I just wanted to let you know that i sincerely thought the line was very well-thought of and written, only i do not agree with the sentiment expressed. But just because i do not agree with what the line says does not mean i do not like the way it has been constructed. it was a beautiful line and kudos to you for writing so well. although i like poetry and admire it, i cannot really write poetry. So i truly admire people who are capable of so effectively and beautifully using language.