Winnowing that list to 10, however, is not.

Every reader will stick with that kind of poem, and its ending will be the one the poet intended: the very last words and the reader still there, listening.Ĭhoosing a list of extraordinary poems that captures North Carolina’s beauty, hospitality, and traditions is easy. And that might remind us of another truth about poetry: that every line should count as well as every word that makes up that line. A reader of poetry is prepared to bail from the start. A reader of fiction will almost always finish the first chapter. And that is about as helpful as Elmore Leonard attributing his success to his just leaving out all the parts readers are likely to skip. Whatever the reason, the best advice to poets is: Don’t give your reader a place to stop. Or the poet chooses self-expression over reader-pleasuring. The poet asks too much too soon, not realizing the reader needs to be seduced. But a broader reason is that the reader begins to distrust the authority of the poet. I usually halt at the mention of “Mom,” “Dad,” or “Grampa.” And for some reason the word “cicada” brings me up short. Some have their own personal deal-breakers. Readers will give notice for all kinds of reasons. This fickleness on the part of poetry readers implies for anyone committed to getting their attention a crucial truth: The poem you wrote does not end with its final lines your poem truly ends at the point where the reader stops reading. The novelist, after all, is like a house guest who stays for days, even weeks, unlike the poet who appears in a window, says something profound - then nothing but the sound of retreating hoofbeats. And there’s always another poem waiting around the corner. It’s easier to walk out after 7 lines than after 130 pages. An obvious reason is that reading a poem involves less of a time commitment. But if a poem is not going well, pretty much all poetry readers will lose interest and turn the page. Also, fiction readers fall into two camps: Those who are willing to stop reading a novel that is becoming a disappointment and those who must finish the book no matter what. Poetry readers like surprise, and they want it sooner than later.

They don’t mind waiting to see what will happen. For one thing, fiction readers like suspense. I would go further and say that fiction readers are different from poetry readers. The last time we spoke, I came up with an easy way for her to remember the difference: Poetry is a bird and prose is a potato. In fact, a novelist-friend and I have for years sustained an affable, weapon-free argument about the comparative merits of our genres. Although I’m not prepared to defend his method of settling the argument, theoretically, I would be on the side of the murderer. And yes, according to the article, it was late at night and spirits had been taken. I’m referring, of course, to the stabbing death of a man who made the mistake of arguing for the superiority of prose with a poet who was carrying a knife. An item in the news got me thinking about the differences between poetry and prose.

Poems about the beautiful weather