Ego

 

Question 19: Can a poem be a mini-essay? Just musings? How do you structure it? Inside a poem, more likely hidden as exposed, is an idea. In this respect a poem is a mini-essay. It might be nothing but a musing, no structure, quarter of an idea, a fanfare of syllabic sounds, but it’s a start. On the other hand, poems can be complete essays in miniature. Their structure does not have to be thesis-antithesis-synthesis. They may open with the conclusion, proceed largely by digression, and conclude inconclusively. May turn musings into works of art.  Say everything in fewest words.

 Question 20: Should you keep your ego out of poetry? If poetry is personal then ego is there somewhere. ‘Song of Myself’ knows where it’s coming from and when Walt Whitman unabashedly declares “I contain multitudes”, is he talking about all humanity or just himself? We think of poetry as communication involving someone else, whether an absent or present lover, upward to a Globe of Shakespeareans or amphitheatre of Homerics. To work, ego will take a backseat, not the front row. Awkwardly, even if we never speak in the first person singular our words can be all I, me, mine.

 Question 21: If poetry is easy to write then why doesn’t everyone do it? Well, is poetry easy to write? Moreover, does it work? More likely to say: though everyone can do it, most don’t, even if they did once. The movement from childhood to adulthood should mean poetic maturing, not putting away of perceived “childish things”. It’s a lifetime thing. Some works materialise with the wave of a wand. Others are like building an Ikea cathedral. Meanwhile, lots of people see no point in making poetry. It never occurs to them. This makes poetry special, not elite or niche.