What makes a poem "good"?

So, right in the title, I realize how hypocritical I sound. I write about how poetry is a fun, free and abstract art, meant to catch one's thoughts and feelings in a beautiful rhythm on this blog. How can I now claim that there is such a thing as "good" and "bad" poetry? Well, as abstract as poetry might be, there are still important nuances in different poems that decide whether they're masterpieces, simply enjoyable to read, or just plain out boring.

I got the inspiration to write this post when I saw a YouTuber (Rachel Oates, check her out because she's awesome), give her thoughts about poetry that YouTube celebs Trisha Paytas and Gabbi Hanna have published. She made a great point, and that is that the main purpose of these books was simply to earn money. I am positive that they would not have been as successful and sold in such quantities if Trisha and Gabbi were unknown people. I hate to bash people that are interested in poetry, we definitely need more poets in the world, but I really believe that showing examples of their poetry and comparing them to other poets, famous for their works rather than eating on camera or being an internet meme, will bring some light as to what differs average poetry from good poetry.

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Example 1

So, my first example is the poem "Betrayed" from the book "101 poems about my ex boyfriend" by Trisha Paytas:

Betrayed

You want her

You do

You choose her over me

And I can't let this go

I am breaking inside and you can't understand

You can't see

Or you don't care

You use so many excuses

You choose so many in my place

I will never be priority

I will not be missed

I will be replaced

This hurts so bad

This hurts so bad

The world will know, it needs to know

I need to let someone know

I can't hang on

Not even for you

I can't hang on cause you don't want me

You don't fight for me

You don't care

Why don't you care?

Fight for me dammit

And love me forever

But you can't and you won't

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Example 2

In this example, I chose a poem with a similar theme as Trisha's, betrayal in free verse. This one is written by Cassandra Jasmine at PoemHunter:

Betrayal

You held me in your arms when I was upset. You soothed me when I was angered. You embraced me when we came in contact. What more can I ask? You vowed to stay besides me, to caress me, to protect me. In your arms that day, I felt safe, and sound.

The next day, I saw my best friend in your arms. The way you held her, so full of lust, adoration, and love. Flashbacks of your promises, our promises, played through my head. Your promises, your vows, meant nothing to me now. The way you held her, your voice when you spoke to her, Was like honey, flowing down a river.

All I could do, Was hang my head in shame. I was ashamed to have trusted you, the way I lavished my attention upon you, the time, the effort, and my feelings. However, You gave not one thought.

I trusted you. I loved you. But you, with your flitting attention, Threw my love down the drain. I will forever have a space for you in my heart, But I will leave you, as you me.

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Same topic. But oh such different approaches to put it down in words.

Betrayal is a heavy thing to go through and does undeniably stir up many emotions, such as grief, anger, sadness, loss, longing, and a lingering love that hurts. These poems both radiate strong emotions, but they capture the reader in completely different ways, and to a completely different extent.

To be frank, Trisha's poem reminded me of an angry text a teenager would send to an ex. It just screams angst and doesn't really follow any thread. It's just words that have been spat on a paper, basically. I would imagine that Trisha wrote this at the peak of her emotions, without any thought about rhythm or context. More of a stream of consciousness kind of thing. It doesn't give the reader anything to grasp on to, and the tone of it just sounds very bland.

Cassandra's poem, however, is according to me an example of a well-executed poem. It contains all of the hurt without compromising rhythm or disposition.

It paints a very clear story. She pulls the reader into her own shoes so that we can experience what she is experiencing. She uses descriptive words such as "lust, adoration, love, honey, shame", details that really lifts her poem to the sky. She describes her feelings rather than just talking about them. Therefore, the reader can easily associate with her, because most of us have been betrayed by someone at least once. We can recognize the hurt she's portraying in the poem, and therefore we can empathize and really enjoy it because it gets to us.

Here's another example to underline my point:

"You choose her over me" VS "The way you held her, so full of lust, adoration, and love."

Which one of those two sounds better? Which one makes you feel more? I would say, without a doubt, the second one. Again, descriptive words, telling a coherent story.

This is one of the reasons why many poets love metaphors because they describe and visualise things much better than just straight out objectifying them. Wouldn't it be awfully boring if poetry sounded like an average, everyday blog?

The magic of poetry is to give power to an event, whether small or big. Whether it's about heartbreak or petting a cat, it should be equally as interesting and intriguing to read.

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Conclusion

A good poem is characterized by at least one of the following:

• A clear and coherent story

• Descriptive - not just objective

• A steady flow/rhythm throughout the poem

• Metaphors and visualisations
  

As a last remark, I will say: A poem doesn't have to be long to be amazing! Take this witty masterpiece as an example:

I never saw a Purple Cow, I never hope to see one, But I can tell you, anyhow, I’d rather see than be one!

- Gelett Burgess

Thanks for reading!