“Who is a Poet” may seem to be nothing more than a list of contradicting characteristics; it paints an image for the reader as to who and what a poet does.
This poem really stands out to me because of the fact that is it’s written in couplets. I enjoy this form because it is simple and easy. My mind likes information presented in such a way that I read it, hear it, and it sticks. Small groups of information work best for this method; also the fact that the first statement is nothing more than a contradiction to the second. In addition, the characteristics given to the poet do not set him apart from the idea of the general “normal” person. Note I use the term normal loosely. Instead the attributes create a more common ground and more openly relating relationship between poet and audience.
My favorite couplet of the poem is “a poet is one who has told lies/ and one who has been told lies”. This line really stands out and I feel like I can connect to it because I believe that some of the best and most relating aspects of writing are fictional. This is one of the most beautiful parts of writing, artistic freedom.
This poem allows space for the reader to interpret the pairs of contradictory statements--thus it provides structure and openness at once.
ReplyDeleteI like your description of the kinds of writing your mind relates to best.
Note that "relatable" is not actually a word (though it may become one some day--I've seen it cropping up in student writing as of late). Relate is a verb--things are easy to relate to, but not relatable (unless perhaps it is information that is relatable . . . as in possible to tell.) You might try a word like appealing as a substitute;-)