Issue 20

Notes

Italian-American Poet and Translator John Ciardi once relayed an unfortunate encounter with a dear friend of his. This non-Poet friend eagerly asked John to read a poem he recently authored, glorifying and admiring the beauty of his newborn child—him being comparably emphatic about the poem as he was his newborn. After reading it, John hated it and, because of this, avoided speaking to the friend about the poem for as long as he could. Eventually, the friend cornered him and, expecting enthusiasm, insisted on hearing his thoughts.

John’s response, as I’ll paraphrase, should be critically received by every poet. 

John said, ‘The poem is bad not because the beauty of your newborn is unapparent, but because the poem itself is bad. It’s painful to read ignorantly composed poetry about such a beautiful thing—it’s insulting.’

Never think that the choice of an excellent subject validates the quality of your poem.


- W.B.