04-01-2017, 08:24 AM
Cheese is a powerful tool. Ideally a poem should be singular and imaginative. If you always wrap a poem up in a cliche way or if you lean too heavy on a few reliable images, your poem will feel constrained and will not be memorable as a singular work. But if you refuse to use the obvious powerful images that come quickest to mind, your poem will also feel constrained. Mix things up. Include a rose in a love poem and subvert the symbol's meaning. Better yet, write a love poem that delves into a deeper, more pressing topic. The mundane is stronger than the absurd, but there must be room for imagination even in the most commonplace scene. If you tend to subvert expectations, playing a cliche straight is the next level of subversion.
Every poem you write is an argument. What do you believe a poem should be? What is poetry?
Every poem you write is an argument. What do you believe a poem should be? What is poetry?