by Neal Whitman

Created on: September 01, 2009   Last Updated: September 02, 2009

"It's Good to Be Bad"

Yes, we have no bananas. And, yes, it is good to be bad for one good reason: CONNOISSEURSHIP. You can be a connoisseur of about anything - wine, even beer. So, why not of poetry? What makes a connoisseur a connoisseur is (a) knowledge, (b) experience, and (c) enthusiasm. So, for example, wine and beer connoisseurs (a) learn a lot about their libations, (b) open a lot of bottles, and (c) love to imbibe. So, how about poetry? Of course! There is (a) lot to learn about it, (b) a ton to read, and (c) some of us profess a love for it.

When you are a connoisseur of poetry, every poem good, bad, and ugly is an opportunity to learn because the poem can be compared to other poems. When it is not good, maybe only mediocre, the connoisseur will be more disappointed than the average reader, but can get more from it by figuring out where the poet went wrong. The upside of being a connoisseur, by the way, is when a poem is really good the connoisseur will appreciate it even more than the average reader and at the same time learn form it. Good poems make good teachers. But remember: so do bad ones.

A good poem uses images, words, sounds, and rhythm to make a whole unit. There are so many ways a poem can go bad and rot, not the least of which are artificiality, sentimentality, intellectuality, and so on. We learn of courtesy from rudeness. We learn humor from a bad joke. Here we are reminded of the guest professor who asked if he might tell a humorous story. A bratty student in the back row quipped, "You'll tell us when, won't you?" The prof replied "Oh, I'll tell you. Everyone else will know." To sum up, connoisseurs see what works and what does not. With humor, if it bends, it's funny. If it breaks, it is not. If a poem makes a miracle of one heart communicating to another, it works. If it does not, learn from it.

Learn more about this author, Neal Whitman.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.