Have you ever heard a good joke? If you've ever heard someone just right, with the right pacing, then you're already on the way to poetry. It's about using words in very precise ways and using gesture.
Rita DoveA good poem is like a bouillon cube. It's concentrated and it nourishes you when you need it.
Rita DoveI think if you put something in a file that says "war poems" or "love poems" that you already restrict the way in which the poem might move.
Rita Dove