Word usage in poetry

[wasellajam]

Poems have always had intention. The focus of the intention might vary from style to style, so the way the words are used and the reason for placing them there cannot all be measured by the same scale. One poet's primary objective might be the message or a metaphor, so words are chosen by their meaning and priority is given to those that can put a double meaning in every drop. Another poet's main objective might be the sonics, so word length and vowel choice might take precedence over preciseness of meaning. In both cases the words are chosen for a specific reason, but the sonic poet will have less to explain about the meaning of the words and the metaphor poet will have less concern about how many syllables the word may have and whether or not it starts with the letter "T."

Ambrosia occurs, of course, when a poet can answer multiple purposes with equal skill. But this probably requires the writer to either have the time and education of a Victorian Duke or else to have some degree of madness.

Alas, for my own poetry, no. I cannot give a defense for every word. However, usually I write them down to stop them running in circles in my head, so by the time they make it into a poem, there are not many alternate options that I can accept without risking it becoming unpinned. The words are chosen because that's what the words were. It's less like creating and more like documenting an event. However, I also do not consider myself to be a very good poet. I'm here to learn how to distill thoughts into slightly more potent versions of the original formula. But mostly I'm here because I enjoy watching other people become actually good poets.

So you can defend every word, each is a permanent piece of the poem.