Questions for Poetry Fans

[ysabetwordsmith]

Reading a poem is a participatory experience. It's not like watching television where you just sit there and passively absorb the broadcast. Good poetry makes you think. It raises questions.

What kind of questions? I'm glad you asked! Here are some examples of questions that you might ask yourself while reading a poem, or while discussing poetry in general. Feel free to use these as a jumping-off point for comments on this post or on individual poems posted to this community.


For Poetry in General

• What is poetry?
• What do you think poetry can do better than prose, or vice versa?
• Which poetic techniques do you like or dislike?
• Which poetic forms do you enjoy reading?
• Have you read poems by people very different from yourself (another religion, ethnicity, sex, etc.)?
• When did you get interested in poetry?
• Have you tried writing poetry, or do you prefer to read someone else's poetry?
• What do you think about the state of poetry in today's world?
• Do you feel that the publishing industry is doing right by poetry today? Why or why not?
• How do you feel about poetry online?

For a Specific Poem

• What does the title tell you about the poem?
• What is the form of this poem? What are some of your favorite forms?
• Who is telling the story here? What does that voice sound like?
• How does the poet set the scene and the mood?
• Which techniques can you identify -- rhyme, meter, alliteration, metaphor, etc.?
• Can you spot any hidden symbolism or other 'eastereggs' in the poem?
• How straightforward or mysterious is this poem? Which do you prefer, and why?
• How does the poem make you feel? What words or phrases evoke that emotion?
• What is your favorite line or verse?
• What is the poem about? What message(s) does it send?

No doubt you can think of some more questions for exploring poetry.  Share them in a comment, or make a post of your own if you want to go longer.

Further Reading
"Analyzing Poetry"
"How to Read a Poem"
"Questions to Consider When Reading Each Poem"

Poem: "One Ship Tall"

[ysabetwordsmith]

In 2007, the Science Fiction Poetry Association hosted a sonnet contest. "One Ship Tall" won first place, and it was originally published on the SFPA website along with the second and third place winners. It was later reprinted in my book, Prismatica: Science Fiction Poetry Spanning the Spectrum. If you're new to reading speculative poetry, you might enjoy my short essay "How to Analyze a Science Fiction Poem."

I like the sonnet form because it gives the poem a strong structure. It can be written in one stanza (any version), two stanzas (for the Italian version with an octave and a sestet) or four stanzas (for the English version with three quatrains and a couplet). These divisions traditionally correspond to different subtopics within the poem. For instance, "One Ship Tall" uses three quatrains to lay out the visionary dimensions of faster-than-light travel, then the couplet compares FTL to heavier-than-air flight. The sonnet's classical connections also lend a sense of grandeur, making it ideal for serious topics and large scales.

One Ship Tall

Some folks just say it will not happen soon,
While others say we can’t do it at all.
Let them give up, and settle for the moon.
The dream of FTL is one ship tall.
It doesn’t matter if the chance is small –
Just build the rocket, turn it on, and ride.
The wormholes and the ramjets sound the call.
The dream of FTL is one mind wide.
Make fun of all our efforts, mock our pride;
But something in us stirs and will not sleep.
Sly laser engines beckon us aside.
The dream of FTL is one heart deep.
“Impossible!” you say. Perhaps it’s true.
Thus our ancestors heard – and yet they flew.