Day 3, morning critique

In the morning, we began by each reading a piece we had worked on during the previous day. I read a piece inspired by a Paraclausithyron prompt. In short, Paraclausithryon writings focus on the concept of being "locked out." The writer can take the concept of being locked out and approach it any way she pleases.

Below is the piece that I wrote:

The most helpful piece of feedback that I received is a gem of wisdom that all poets can use: do not slow down readers at the end of your piece by including ambiguity. My poem had an array of interesting images, but then I confused the reader with the lines "hundreds of people/ are hundreds of mirrors/ and if shards break away/ they can easily be replaced." While those lines might be interesting, they are definitely abstract and do confuse the reader. Throughout the poem, there is this tone of loneliness. Then, the mirror lines make it seem like the subject of the poem is judging others, or something along those lines. Those four lines completely alter the poem.

Many times, I think that us poets are hesitant to take out lines. Poetry is compressed as it is, and if we revise and take out lines, then our piece becomes, in some cases, significantly shorter. If those words detract from the overall piece, shouldn't they be cut out?

I think less experienced poets equate ambiguity with a poem being "deep." These aTi sessions have shown me that if you can make concrete images "deep," then that's when you're truly on your way to mastering poetry.