That last one seemed to have a lot of unintentional numbers in it. I hope this one doesn't.
Hey John -- John said > "Define poetry." I9m happy to try to define 3poetry,2 although I would argue that my definition is not particularly relevant, as the word is in the dictionary. I9ll try for as catholic a definition as possible: poetry is writing (printed, chanted, spoken, or sung) which gains added beauty and meaning (beyond the literal) by the creative choice and juxtaposition of words. Here are some dictionary definitions that are a bit less verbose: Imaginative language or composition, whether expressed rhythmically or in prose. Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, ) 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. 1: Literature in metrical form [syn: poesy, verse] 2: any communication resembling poetry in beauty or the evocation of feeling. Source: WordNet . 1.6, ) 1997 Princeton University. John said > "Define good poetry. Here's one of my own poems: (from years ago...apologies, apologies... I was young and did not know better...) Is it good poetry? As good as Joni's?" Ah, define GOOD poetry! This gets to my point. It9s ALL poetry. Rightly, you did not ask me whether your writing was a poem, but whether it was a GOOD poem. Um...I think it9s pretty good in parts (I won9t dissect it here but would be glad to give you a full critique privately). I did enjoy reading it. I don9t think it9s as good as Joni, but others may. Have you asked your partner? Obviously the answer to the question of whether a particular poem is bad, good, or sublime will differ from person to person. Academic poets and students of poetry will bring a different set of criteria to the question than lay people. Your post seems to express a desire to work toward a definition of absolute good. It9s a noble desire and, I think, a spiritual one. As a great poet once said: "No one knows They can never get that close Guesses at most Guesses based on what each set of time and change is touching" I love Joni's poetry for many reasons. I love it because she finds gorgeous metaphors, because she speaks in cadences which resonate for me (as one who grew up loving pop music and also studying great poets from Homer to Donne to Eliot to Frank O'Hara), because her words seem direct, sincere, and heartfelt, because there is a sophistication to her thinking but no marriage to a particular "school" of thought, because her descriptive powers are strong, because the themes of many of her poems intersect with my own personal questions about love and life, and because the poetry is written by Joni. My life has been informed by these poems. I have lived, grown, and loved with these poems imprinted upon my psyche. Best, David
