by Miranda Pierson

Created on: October 25, 2009

The best poetry comes from the mind. The mind enables the voice and the tone to become one and in turn to shape the poetry. Poems that come from the mind can have a variety of styles. They can be callous, sentimental, objective, or indifferent. However, poems that come from the heart are usually more restricted. They may possess more of a prevailing emotional depth that at times can dominate the work and consequently obstruct the clarity of the meaning. As a result of this restriction, a poem that comes from the heart cannot always be appreciated unless it is the preferred style.

Such poems are not of the style that I favor. They are beautiful for what they are, yet I am partial to the poetry that is less captivated by heartfelt language. When I read a poem, I desire to see the concrete nature of the meaning. I want to find the basis of the circumstance. I want there to be substance. Sometimes I find that the substance of the poems that come from the heart do not have this concrete element. I also find that poems which are overly sentimental tend to remain distant and isolate the reader. A poem from the mind can be more intellectual. It creates a connection between the work and the reader. When I read a poem, I want to be able to find a place for myself within the work. I believe that poems which derive from the mind have the intention of forming such a connection.

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