by E. R. S.

Created on: December 20, 2008   Last Updated: July 28, 2009

I believe that "bad" poetry can definitely have value. My definition of bad poetry is poetry that has muddled it's original message either through poor syntax, inadequate explanation or by just not having much of a clear purpose to begin with. Sometimes a bad poem is just underdeveloped, or is too wordy. Other times a bad poem just needs a little bit more organization. This kind of poetry can be useful in a few ways.

Mostly bad poetry can be used as a bad example. You can look at it and try to discover what went wrong, what can be improved, and this can help you avoid that in your own writing. Are the transitions between stanzas badly done? Are there any stanzas at all? Does it have flow? I find it's often easier to discover what is wrong with bad poetry than what is good with good poetry, which makes bad poetry a better learning tool.

On the more abstract side, bad poetry has other benefits. Sometimes it is just purely amusing. On other rare occasions, it might be strangely written, which means it could offer a line or two phrased in an interesting way that might be inspiring. Or it might just inspire you to try to rewrite it. To me, if it intrigues the reader at all, it has some value.

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