What is a Poem?

A J Carter
(A version of this article first appeared in Quantum Leap 2, 1998 and a later version in Writers' Forum in 1999)

So, what is a poem?

Inevitably, it’s all things to all men, one man’s meat another man’s poison and all that, chalk and cheese, with the thorny question of ‘to rhyme or not to rhyme’ being somewhere at the head of many people’s agenda. But you have to start somewhere, and my trusty old dictionary gives as good a definition as anything I've ever come across:

poem, n. a composition in verse; a composition of high beauty of thought or language and artistic form, typically, but not necessarily, in verse; anything (my italics) supremely harmonious and satisfying.

I like the bit about ‘high beauty’, but I'm not so sure about that anything! But at least it means you can legitimately send your old editor your idea of a poem, safe in the knowledge that it’s as valid a viewpoint as his! Whether he will publish it, or not, is quite another matter and, often, acceptances are just as much about an editor’s tastes as anything to do with poetical validity. So, read and inwardly digest, as I give you a few hints on what I like.

First and Foremost

In general, I have no great preference between poetry that rhymes and poetry that doesn’t. What I do look for, and love when I can find it, is a poem that captures the essence of that dictionary definition, in terms of high beauty of language. If that is there, then the high beauty of thought is bound to be there too: I know that seems rather like putting the cart before the horse, but it is true - great poetry, the kind which involves ‘thoughts’ which make you tingle inside, cannot be written without that high beauty of language.

The Three Ps and How They Can Help You

My three ps are: Precision, Punctuation and Presentation.

Precision deals with the way in which you translate those thoughts from your mind to mine, using that great beauty of language: finding just the right words and expressing them in just the right way, with an assured economy of style, will always grab my attention. Often, it’s the economical way people use words which shows that they have worked on the poem. You are a lucky poet indeed, if any poem you have ever written is exactly as you first wrote it down yet still a good poem. Life just ain’t like that, and working and re-working a poem is essential if you are to do it justice - and you should, you know; after all, you are its father and mother and it has no other!

Punctuation is a contentious issue with many poets - and with many editors - and Hell hath no fury like a writer whose opus has been changed! So what’s the problem then? None, really, if you accept that an editor edits, and is not making changes for the sake of it. Many of you have written to thank me for helpful letters, including advice on punctuation, so I know that for many of you I won’t be casting my seed on stony ground. I’m always happy with a poem that doesn’t need any changes - it’s less work for a start - but sometimes I feel it is needed if the poem is to be shown at its best and to be understood properly.

Punctuation can help your reader to appreciate what you are trying to say - provided it’s done correctly, and isn’t just a few scattered commas and the occasional semi-colon - and, in many cases, the correct punctuation will actually improve the poem, by cutting out the ambiguity that can arise in unpunctuated poetry. Having said that, I must admit that, at times, I write unpunctuated poems myself, using the actual structure and set out of the poem to suggest the punctuation/pauses needed. This can be quite effective. In general, though, I would urge you to learn to punctuate, and if I’ve offended anyone by ‘doctoring’ their work, rest assured that it’s only because I liked the poem enough to want to see its potential fulfilled: punctuation and presentation can do that, and I’d ask you to bear with me on this one.

Presentation can be so important, both in getting the message of your poem across, and in catching the eye of an editor or judge. You can’t ‘upgrade’ a ‘poor’ poem by presentation alone, but you can certainly lessen the impact of a ‘good’ one by failing to give it the presentation it deserves. It matters not whether the poem is a funny one, or a serious one, there are certain things which will hold it back. Look, for instance, at the next paragraph.

I know it’s exaggerated, but it is an example of poor presentation - having lines cramped together makes for awkward reading, and there’s no need at all for this with poetry, is there? You can use single line spacing if you want to, and we use it ourselves in Quantum Leap to maximise the number of poems we can fit in to the magazine, but when your w.p. or p.c. can be set for 1.5 or 2 line spacing, then why not take advantage of this and present your poem in a clear way on your submission.

If you are hand writing your submissions, these suggestions are just as applicable: space your words and lines out well, don’t cram it all together and, most importantly, make sure it’s legible: equally, if you’re using a typewriter, don’t use an old worn out ribbon! You may be the next Dylan Thomas, but if the editor can’t read your work you’ll be a long time being discovered!

Another trap which some people fall into, is to ‘make’ the poem fit the rules - e.g. changing the actual lines of a perfectly good 40 line poem to make it fit the competition requirement of 24 lines! This doesn’t work: it just looks like what it is - a poem whose lines are far too long - and it won’t fool a judge for one minute! Likewise, trying to pass a piece of favourite prose off as a poem by cutting it up - it just doesn’t work.

You’re a good poet.

Well - you are, aren’t you? So, don’t plant those doubts. Ask advice, by all means, but have that faith in your abilities and your work. I’ll spare your blushes, but not naming them, but one or two people who have written to Quantum Leap (I’ve already written to them) asked if their work had any merit, and one, a good poet, even hit me with the line - ‘In the likely event of their not being suitable’! (He knows who he is, and he’s been suitably chastised!) Don’t go down that road: inspire editors with the worth of what you send out, and the best way to do that is to have complete and utter faith in your work to begin with.

Alan Carter looks forward to receiving submissions for Quantum Leap poetry magazine. Send a maximum of six poems plus SAE or IRC to Quantum Leap, York House, 15 Argyle Terrace, Rothesay, Isle of Bute, PA20 0BD, UK.
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