What makes a good poetry?

The world of art is immense. It is intense, hard to navigate, and highly fascinating. Learning to criticize art is a whole art form within itself. Poetry is one of these art forms. This is an art form that so few understand fully; even I, a self-proclaimed expert in the world of literature, still struggle to understand the magnitude of poetry fully. Within this lies the question, what is good poetry?

To understand that, first, we must understand what poetry is

“Poetry is an echo, asking a shadow to dance.” – Carl Sandburg.

I’m sure many people will find the above sentence hard to understand. Why? It’s poetic; it has this mystery to it that is waiting to be uncovered. That is what poetry is. The twisting and teasing of language into such a pure form that it can hide secrets in plain sight. That Is perhaps why this art has survived for eons without a large following. The chase is attractive to humans, and this art form offers much of it. Maybe the excellent poetry hides in the chase.

“Poetry is language at its most distilled and most powerful.” – Rita Dove.

Poetry is the opposite of hubris; it likes to hide behind words. It is offering advice and telling secrets to only those who can understand. Sounds medieval. Maybe that is what the essence of the whole genre is. The ancients talked through the modern pen. This could offer an answer to the question of what good poetry is.

A good poem is entirely subjective. It depends on the consumer. Maybe secrets and tales aren’t someone’s cup of tea. It is a modern spin on art that speaks to someone’s soul. The entire art form thrives on the reader’s emotions; every reader is different. That can also be the mark of a good poem. The understanding of the human soul. What speaks to it and what doesn’t? I guess the answer to the question lies within you, dear reader. You choose what makes a good poem.

“If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire can ever warm me, I know that is poetry.” – Emily Dickinson.

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