The essentials of poetry are rhythm, dance, and the human voice.

The essentials of poetry are rhythm, dance, and the human voice.

Poetry is the opening and closing of a door, leaving those who look through to guess what is seen during read more

Poetry is the opening and closing of a door, leaving those who look through to guess what is seen during a moment.

When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the areas of man's concern, read more

When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the areas of man's concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of his existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses.

CONSIDERING THE VOID
When I behold the charm
of evening skies, their lulling endurance;
the patterns of stars with read more

CONSIDERING THE VOID
When I behold the charm
of evening skies, their lulling endurance;
the patterns of stars with names
of bears and dogs, a swan, a virgin;
other planets that the Voyager showed
were like and so unlike our own,
with all their diverse moons,
bright discs, weird rings, and cratered faces;
comets with their streaming tails
bent by pressure from our sun;
the skyscape of our Milky Way
holding in its shimmering disc
an infinity of suns
(or say a thousand billion);
knowing there are holes of darkness
gulping mass and even light,
knowing that this galaxy of ours
is one of multitudes
in what we call the heavens,
it troubles me. It troubles me.
-President Jimmy Carter- (he has written a volume of poetry as well as a novel, The Hornet's Nest,
about the Revolutionary War).

Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.

Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.

A poet is someone who is astonished by everything.

A poet is someone who is astonished by everything.

It does not need that a poem should be long. Every word was once
a poem.

It does not need that a poem should be long. Every word was once
a poem.

The fatal facility of the octosyllabic verse.

The fatal facility of the octosyllabic verse.

Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion; it is not the expression of personality, read more

Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion; it is not the expression of personality, but an escape from personality. But, of course, only those who have personality and emotions know what it means to want to escape from these things.