Issue 27

Notes

Before and after reading poetry, it is important for us to wonder what a poem is and seek a definition. Our definitions and pursuits to form them strengthen our ability to appreciate and to create. Whether the verse is formal and the meter is fashionably regular, or the lines are free and the rhythms are euphonic syncopated afterthoughts, we must wonder with the sort of curiosity that is emboldened by knowing we will never come to an answer but will attempt to do so for the joy of doing so. The only likely definition we’ll arrive at will be more of a flexible set of criteria rather than a strict, concise catch-all. There are always exceptions to our definitions—some poor and some wonderful.
 
I encourage you to take this mischievous task up for yourself. If the thought of attempting to define something without the promise of ever concretely achieving a definition unsettles you, I’d encourage you to reconsider any other definition with which you’re familiar and test your ground by stomping.

- W.B.