Why is it that the reaction I often receive to my poems amounts to little more than, "It was nice. I liked it." Asking for more seems rude, but I want to know what was "nice" about the piece. Did it make the reader feel or think "something?" Did it invoke any reaction at all. Putting them on the spot is not what I do, but I do so want to know.
Ah, but that's not entirely true. I once wrote a poem titled Emery, which brought out a whole range of reactions. None of these reactions were quite alike, but they were all very intensely felt by the readers. "This is me!" I heard on many occasions. When I'd ask for their interpretation of the poem I was amazed by what they related to me. Each time, I could clearly see what they saw in Emery, could understand how it applied to them, but I had never consciously put those meanings into the piece.
I suppose that such little gems of unexpected insight just "happen" from time to time, and that I shouldn't press for more when it just isn't there. That my poems are "liked" can be good enough, I guess, but to know that what I write has an impact, however subtle, is a sweet reward that I hope to savor again.
At the moment, I am awaiting a proof of my new book, Echoes, Neo-Victorian Poetry, and hoping that we are finally done with the edits. More on the next week...
Ah, but that's not entirely true. I once wrote a poem titled Emery, which brought out a whole range of reactions. None of these reactions were quite alike, but they were all very intensely felt by the readers. "This is me!" I heard on many occasions. When I'd ask for their interpretation of the poem I was amazed by what they related to me. Each time, I could clearly see what they saw in Emery, could understand how it applied to them, but I had never consciously put those meanings into the piece.
I suppose that such little gems of unexpected insight just "happen" from time to time, and that I shouldn't press for more when it just isn't there. That my poems are "liked" can be good enough, I guess, but to know that what I write has an impact, however subtle, is a sweet reward that I hope to savor again.
At the moment, I am awaiting a proof of my new book, Echoes, Neo-Victorian Poetry, and hoping that we are finally done with the edits. More on the next week...
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