If you are reading this, 

I assume you have some sort of respect for poetry. 

Therefore, I believe this very poem

To be worthy of your reproval. 

So, may I ask you, what defines a good poem? 

Certainly not a rhetorical question, 

But possibly the use of complete sentences,

Or the appropriate use of

Enjambment. Oh! My apologies,

Do you find this to be ironic? 

Many argue that a good poem possess 

Literary devices thoughtfully embedded throughout.  

Yet, they should not be purely evaluated on pre-set structures of, for example, a sonnet or haiku. 

I realize I cannot adequately receive

Your personal response to my original dilemma.

So, rather I myself will make my finest notion 

Known to you. A good poem should be judged 

By creativity, wit, and depth. It should be critiqued on

Connotations rather than bombastic denotations. 

The heart from which the art is expressed,

And the purpose of bringing thoughts of value to life, 

Regardless of quintessential framework or skill,

Are far more important than any insensitive tally of a critic

Or letter grade received from an educator. 

Photo Credit: Maria Fabrizio for NPR

Written by

Gabriella Hendricks

Gabby Hendricks, junior, enjoys performing in the school musicals. She is also learning how to play the guitar and loves spending time reading. Gabby began to truly appreciate literature and writing when her sixth-grade teacher read The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros to her class and would also have the students write their own creative stories.