Yolanda U. Trapp
To publish prose, writers have to use the best words to inform or enlighten their readers. Poets, however, have to use the best words in the best order to deliver readers into a higher realm of consciousness or truth. That alone is reason enough to learn poetry’s basic elements. For starters, poetic techniques will shape and sharpen our diction and style, enriching our work with imagery and tone. We can edit and revise more effectively and even turn sections of prose manuscripts into publishable poems.
But first, we need to understand how a poem is made.
