When I edit poetry for publication, I read to see that these elements are strong.
1. Fresh Language–no common phrases/language used as jargon
2. Show, don’t tell –Don’t teach, preach or explain but show us through imagery. “A picture worth a thousand words.
3. Unnecessary Words and Phrases– Take out repetition and don’t explain in two words that which you can say in one.
4. Clarity–Even experimental poetry (except language poetry) has a narrative of some kind that we can follow. Make sure it makes sense.
5. Length–A short blast or important moment or does it need to be long enough to express your whole idea.
This is the easier check list that I can make and it will sharpen all your work.
As an aside, last night in couple counseling, one of the partners who isn’t usually very expressive wrote a poem to his spouse which was quite moving and actually
followed these rules. He talked about “soft as the moss of baby tears” and how it would tear him up to think he had caused any of those tears, wants her to be soft
because she can trust him to be “her oak/”
