Use of senses in poetry

[caseyquinn]

A few places around the wonderful world of writing forums i have posted a poem and it was sort of shot down as it "didn't engage my five senses enough." - and it made me think. Does a poem really need to engage all of your senses to make it a good poem? Is this really the standard for good poetry?

I went to Williams "rate a poem" index and sort of read thru at what classic poems he selected to get a feel of "senses" in them.

Here is one of my favorite poems by william blake:
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23292

here he doesnt evoke all of the senses but the poem carries a message.

here is a poem from william carlos willaims:
http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24218

this poem is only an observation, a simple watching of an action. it has no message really and only engages perhaps sight as a sense. No more.


I guess what defines a good poem, is there ONE thing? To me poems can be good for any number of reasons:

1. Form - its use of a strict structured form done well. I may or may not like the poem itself but the ability to use the form so well made it a good poem.

2. Observational - a simple notice of something poetic in life. generally free form that can carry a moral of the story tone. See any steppe poem for details.

3. For the love of words - poems that just read wonderfully out loud - i may or may not like the point of the poem or truly "get it" but it was just written so well i didnt really care.

i am going to stop here because well, i think there are a million reasons i COULD like a poem. Am i missing something here ?

What DO YOU define as a good poem? Does it need to have certain characteristics? Can it be one of many things?

[Izz]

A few places around the wonderful world of writing forums i have posted a poem and it was sort of shot down as it "didn't engage my five senses enough." - and it made me think. Does a poem really need to engage all of your senses to make it a good poem? Is this really the standard for good poetry?This kinda sounds like the critter couldn't really get into the poem, and wasn't sure why, and then decided that it needed more sensory data.

As you say, poetry can be good for many, many reasons. Usually, however, what makes poems great are the emotions attached to them - whether it be a simple recounting of an event (though, to be honest, that William Carlos Williams poem you linked to did absolutely nothing for me) to an intense metaphor regarding hate. Sometimes emotion is expressed in written form through the senses. Without having read your poem and the exact comments, casey, i couldn't say where the commenter was coming from, but my first instinct is that to the poster the poem was either missing setting, or more likely, some emotional handle to grab onto.

[caseyquinn]

So based on your comments would you define a good poem, again for your own taste as it is a personal thing, as a poem that extracts some emotional response ? This thread was more just trying to see if there is a consensus of the top or common attributes of "good poems"

where each is really an "OR" statement, not an and statement

1. Extracts emotional response
2. Defines a poetic observation
3. ??

just thought it would be interesting in general to see if there a common agreement on it. See that Williams poem is a good example of a poem that does not extract any emotional response nor does it have any deeper meaning, it is simply... what it is. Yet, considered to be a good poem by many thanks to its observational quality.

[Izz]

So based on your comments would you define a good poem, again for your own taste as it is a personal thing, as a poem that extracts some emotional response ? Yeah, pretty much.
1. Extracts emotional responseDefinitely a top attribute for me.
2. Defines a poetic observationIf the poetic observation triggers an emotion, then you could call this an attribute - though i would think of it more as an off-shoot from number 1 and number 3. Though when i say emotion, that can include satisfaction or the like - it doesn't have to be a strong core emotion. Perhaps that William Carlos Williams poem might evoke an emotion like that in someone who is an avid cat-lover.

I've read poems that are poetic observations that i've loved because of the sheer beauty and the sense of wondernment i get from seeing through the author's eyes for a moment.

3. ??For me the exploration of metaphor is a reason to enjoy a poem. And that generally involves a poetic observation intertwined with emotion and then applied to something else.

[Greenify13]

I found this thread to be facsinating so here I am...I was a worrier when it came to my poetry, I still shy away from the critique for poetry area...
However while some of my poems do use 'senses' not all of them do, I find that I get emotional responses to most of them no matter the methods or poetic tools I use.
This one was, I guess I would say very or too graphic but liked...The Goodwife (http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=127619)
There are in my opinion many ways to look at a poem and many ways to write them. Not only do you contend with your personal styles and patterns you get to deal with how others view them, their reaction and preferences. Tricky business poetry, but I found from my time here in AW that first you must like it yourself (or atleast try to); second take in others advice-it may help you, it may not, but you can learn things that can better your work-try it out; third is that there are so many types of poetry-style, subject, poetic techniques...
Not everyone will agree on just one method, just like no one will conform to using one type of style. I suggest that you keep writing, take in the advice given if it works that's great, if not then try something else...
I have rambled beyond belief I am certain! Sorry, I'm done! :)