What Makes a Good Poem
How to Craft Poetry that Mesmerises, Enchants and Inspires
For poets, the difference between a bad poem and a great one can be extraordinarily elusive to define. In this article, we'll introduce some elemental concepts to help.
The piece de resistance, the icing on the metaphorical word cake - the very reason for being for most poets - is to hear that most lilting and resonant of phrases at least once in their lifetime not uttered by a significant other, teacher or Mother:
"Wow! What a good poem!"
Getting from here to there can be tricky though, particularly when there are so few clear definitions to assist with just how to tell what a 'good' poem actually is. Fear not, as we tackle the elusive and challenge our minds with just exactly what makes a good poem, well... good.
"Bad" and "Good" Are Mostly Subjective Concepts. Mostly.
The concept of beauty is an individual preference. This is why a poem that is dismissed by scholarly minds as technically mediocre, such as 'Footprints', can become a popular and frequently quoted work simply because it strikes a resonant chord rather than possesses any literary merit. Yet, if it's touched, moved or brought you to emotion, if it has inspired a state of beauty in you, it would be difficult to argue that at least in your eyes, the poem is not 'good'. In the case of 'Footprints', let's make that 'millions'.
Within the context of a good poem then, content is arguably more important than style alone.
For beginning poets, this is a point worth noting but never a reason not to immerse yourself as deeply as possible into the more studious (and scholarly) practices.
What is a Good Poem?
Marilyn Singer asked a group of authors and editors this very question. The responses included:
- A good poem is a "word photograph".
- ... Is a "blind date with enchantment."
Out of all of the responses you'll note that not one person mentioned "It perfectly rhymes" "Has metrical footing!" or "Uses iambic pentameter". Before you use that as an excuse not to study things like meter, technique and rhyme however, consider that when looking at Vincent Van Gogh's masterpieces, the use of brushstrokes is not necessarily the first thing that comes to mind either. His brushstrokes are the tool with which he learned to paint his voice, and not the voice itself.
When art is good, like puppetry, the strings become irrelevant if not invisible - but make no mistake - the strings are there. Else, all you have is a limp doll.
What is a Good Poet?
A well written poem is like a fine photograph. It says something of the poet and something of his subject at the same time. A good poet then is one who manages that art consistently.
Stepping outside of the poetic box, let's use the aforementioned art form, photography, as an example. Google 'Ansel Adams' images and scan a few of his many photographs. Note how after viewing five or six, it's pretty easy to discern the 'what' (on a simplistic level) of what an Ansel Adams photograph is. His use of light, nature and shadows in the proportions that he used them renders almost every photograph familiarly 'Ansel Adamseque'.
Poetry is no different - when you read Plath or Blake or Yeats or Ginsberg, each has a distinct and unique voice that is beyond the mere words or topics that that they choose, and that voice is consistent throughout their works.
To be a good poet is a lifetime spent in learning how to develop your own voice which is evident regardless of what you are writing about. Fortunately in this day and age, researching and practicing are as close as the nearest browser.
