language system

Analyzing the poem as a language system.

not that close

His close reading of poems was ‘close’, in that it was inexact.

critical difference

Opinion expires in time. Analysis lasts.

ingredients label

I’m in favor a federal legislation mandating an Ingredients Label on the back of all poetry books in lieu of blurbs. The most frequently used words could be listed: ‘Moon: 13; Cow: 11; Grass: 8; Light: 6; all others 5 or less instances'. And each text would be analyzed for content: ‘Poeticisms: 14%; Imagery: 11%; Tropes: 7%; Internal Rhyme: 2.7% ; and other rhetorical or quasi-poetic matter and filler'.

reverse engineering

Spent all day reverse engineering a great poem. Still the poetic ghost in the machine never showed itself.