Journal Entry for "Smorgasbord of Poetry"

What is GOOD poetry?
Marianne Moore shares that when one reads a poem, one discovers the genuine quality of it. That your hair can rise and that though we may not always understand "why", that it is beautiful beyond the basic education one acquires or the job one does. Words provide "imaginary gardens...", and the raw quality of poetry is what attracts one to it.
Archibald MacLeish suggests in his poem that a poem should be "palpable" and almost edible. That the words disappear within the construction of the poem. Also, that a poem should be timeless, yet all the "rules" of poetry should not be the measuring system for what is "good" or what is "poetry". A poem just is.
John Keats suggests in his poem that if words "constrain" one while writing poetry, then let the words be woven into a pattern, complete and strong. To listen to what we write and control the sounds and rhythm to reach true poetic achievement.
Emily Dickinson dwells in "possibility" that poetry is full of opportunity to create a vision beyond the world as we know it.That she will try to "gather paradise" in her narrow hands using words with double meanings and full of multiple interpretations.
last, but not least!: Alexander Pope eloquently writes that poems are beyond judgement, right or wrong. That expected rhyming is bland and that a thoughtful twist of words with unexpected delights stimulates the mind and the soul. That "sweetness" is formed when the art if writing is employed...a gentle blow to make a point with effortless rhythm and thundering surprises of delight.

Well, if these poets can make such beautiful assertions about their craft with such wonderful descriptions...THEY are good poets and I certainly can see why they are all masters in their own right for tooling the language to create such thought-provoking works. They do seem quite humorous, too.