Implied narrative. Everything has an implied narrative. That's what I hear. Some narratives are more implied than others. How do implied narratives within lyric poetry work differently than linear, straightforward narratives. Subjectivity?



The energy of image. Image is static. Does not move much outside the poem. How to light up images, make them move. Rhetoric, a tad. Or perhaps moving image into metaphor. Details into figuration. But slippery pile-ups of images meant to resist the intelligence sometimes "work" and sometimes seem not to "work." "work" can't be all relative, although much of it certainly must be. Maybe dramatic situation (implied narrative) can aid the slippery pile up images meant to resist the intelligence. Maybe narrative in a straight way is one tiny slice of reality and the backlash against it is a freeing of another reality seriously neglected.



"That's silly. "

"Too easy."



That's what I hear from many people who read Nice Hat Thanks or some Fence poets. First, who says it's easy. Second, if it's easy what does that have to do with whether or not it's good. Good, not best, good is different than best. Best never exists, only good. I hear defenders of clarity ringing and they say clarity is a reaction against political doublespeak. Stephen Dunn and Billy Collins are clear cutting the language.



Language, language, language.



Who said if ain't a pleasure it ain't a poem?