Poetry Writing 101 Poem by Richard Randolph

So, why is this a great poem?
Let me try to explain.
First, notice there's no rhyme.
Rhyming is for children.
Also, notice the absence of adverbs or adjectives.
Serious poets avoid these.
They focus, instead, on nouns and strong verbs.
These are much more powerful.
Now, in this particular case,
the poet's avoided punctuation altogether.
Obviously a carefully considered artistic choice.
Definitely makes it hard to understand,
but maybe that's the point.
Life is hard to understand.
And I'm sure you're wondering what it means.
I know, I am, even after all these years.
In fact, if you were to ask five different critics,
I'm sure you'd get five different answers.
That's because it's filled with ambiguity.
In fact, I think it's safe to say,
it doesn't really mean anything,
and maybe that's like life, too.
Who knows? It's complicated, right?
So, for your first writing assignment,
I want you to write a poem without punctuation,
and certainly without rhyme,
that avoids simple answers, or didacticism,
but, instead, is filled with ambiguity
and allows for multiple interpretations.
Because that's how serious poetry works.
It defies simple interpretation. Like life.
Do you understand?