To Write a Poem
by James Green

I know some poets who still write in rhyme.
Although, with others free verse works just fine.

The formalists quote Frost; you hear them say
to write without fixed meter is to play

a game of tennis without the tiresome net.
The sport eschewed. How challenging is that?

To this the deconstructionists reply
a poem should not be a sport, and why

must meaning stay within the bounds of rules?
A poet should not need pretentious tools

to scalp a reader’s soul. Let language howl!
What matters is the daemon is aroused.

I say both can be right, although they miss
the point. To write a poem, first–mark this–

along with craft, you must perfect the art
of suffering a broken heart.



 

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