I suck...and other things...

[Truerenigma]

Thanks Billy and True. I appreciate. Let me ponder.

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>PS...this is part of a LONG poem...as such...just like in a long opera...I feel I must almost constantly repeat/reiterate certain leitmotifs. Don't you have to in such longer works, to keep recycling the reader back into the central themes/motifs of the poem?

I don't know...

the short answer is no, you don't have to. Repetition is used effectively though in many famous long poems though it may be for other reasons. You might recycle words but avoid recycling the reader, which you can't do anyway. The minute they get bored they just go drink beer or read another poem, or maybe go watch real housewives or big brother. It's a complicated and often misunderstood device but one of the main ideas is economy of words and language, think of it as a base paint but you want to use it with different shades and textures. You want a good economy of words in a long poem anyway it seems because no one wants to waste their time on a bunch of wastful words. But even that doesn't always mean you should repeat yourself. Another interesting thing to think about is that sometimes repetitions are not whole words or always words whole, sometimes they are reversals and verse rehearsals.