When using metaphors in poetry, Sue, I believe that it is not always necessary to be absolutely crystal clear on the first reading. It is, in my opinion, perfectly acceptable to challenge the reader to interpret the poem and make use of the gray matter that often goes to waste in this age of soundbite. Poetry that tells you exactly what it's about and gives you all the keys in plain sight is simply prose with line breaks - or even worse, a pop song on paper.
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--------- Original Message ---------
DATE: Thu, 3 Jul 2003 10:54:41
From: Sue Scalf <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Cc:
>Thanks, I am glad you appreciated what I was trying to do. Of course I did
>not mean a literal memorial service or a literal taking of communion, but these
>were intended to be representative of a failure of faith. I hope that came
>across. It is difficult for me to know what is reaching a reader and what is
>not, and often I fail. But that is the challenge of reading and writing poetry,
>and perhaps one of the many elements that make it poetry. I heard someone
>describe poetry as a lake where on the surface the water is clear, but as one
>stares one realizes that below there are murky depths and things that are not
>immediately seen on the surface. I liked this description. Sue
>
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