The poem has a social effect of some kind whether or not the poet wills it to have. It has a kenetic force, it sets in motion...elements in the reader that would otherwise remain stagnant.
Denise LevertovI'm not very good at praying, but what I experience when I'm writing a poem is close to prayer.
Denise LevertovBoth art and faith are dependent on imagination; both are ventures into the unknown.
Denise LevertovIt's when we face for a moment the worst our kind can do, and shudder to know the taint in our own selves, that awe cracks the mind's shell and enters the heart.
Denise LevertovInsofar as poetry has a social function it is to awaken sleepers by other means than shock.
Denise LevertovA poet articulating the dreads and horrors of our time is necessary in order to make readers understand what is happening, really understand it, not just know about it but feel it: and should be accompanied by a willingness on the part of those who write it to take additional action towards stopping the great miseries which they record.
Denise Levertov