narrative explained

A narrative poem carries a story however unconventionally it’s told.

say it

Poet, be courageous in your rhetoric.

no secret left

A tattle-tale title.

top heavy

A title that tips the poem’s hand.

stand clear

Sometimes the content is so inherently poetic that all the poet must do is to keep the language from getting in the way of the telling.

metaphor making truth

The pure adventurousness of making metaphors and poems is a condition that must be felt to be believed. I remember how tremendously excited I was when I first formulated to myself the proposition that the poet is not to be limited by the literal truth: that he is not trying to tell the truth: he is trying to make it.

—James Dickey, “Metaphor as Pure Adventure,” Sorties (Louisiana State Univ. Press, 1971)

narrative coming through

Certain stories are instant poetry: The words must simply get out of the way of the telling.