Poetry and Clarity

While writing, I feel engaged in a purpose that is beyond myself. On the other hand, I have always felt that the real reason I write is to find out about myself, that is, to find out what I think and to organize my thinking, and theoretically it should not matter if a larger purpose be present, especially the larger purpose of eventually communicating with other people.

Writing as a Spiritual Act

The act of writing becomes a spiritual act when the writer is engaged in self-discovery for clarity of thought and purpose. Communication is ultimately the goal of any writing.

Without clarity, honesty, and integrity, writing serves no purpose. The spirituality of a clear, well-wrought poem is one of life’s true pleasures; the joy of understanding and recognition offers depth and breadth to the spiritual search.

Clarity is essential in all writing, if the transcendent voice is to be well displayed. Writers, especially poets, must always strive for the discourse that speaks in as clear a voice as possible, since spiritual things can be communicated only through metaphor and symbol.

Clarity in PoetryClarity is especially crucial in poetry. It is true that poetry does require a special reading, but real, skillfully crafted poems are worth the extra care one takes to comprehend the heartfelt experiences portrayed by practiced poets.

The field of modern writing, especially modern poetry, is littered with weeds of confusion, apathy, inaccuracy, and even fraud. The reader must seek out clarity with vigilance, constantly asking himself, “is this poem clearly communicating or merely obfuscating?” It is wise to avoid to latter as a waste of time and effort.