In praise of short poems

As with many other things, when it comes to poetry we tend to assume that larger is better. We equate the lenght of a work with the effort on the poet's part. After all, from the Eneid to The Wasteland, there is a venerable tradition of long poems that are also milestones of western culture.

However, as Japanese poets have demonstrated, brevity has its own kind of brilliance. A great brief poem can capture a truth as profound as any large work, and crafting such a poem requires a kind of talent that's different, but not inferior, to that required to engage in a poetic tour de force.

Besides, a short poem has an added advantage. Not a lot of people can recite the Odyssey from memory, but almost everyone knows a short poem by heart. Longer works may tell the tale of our civilization, but brief poems are about our most intimate selves.

Below you will find three of my favorite short poems. They can be read in under a minute and with minimal effort you can memorize them and carry them with you everywhere. I hope you enjoy them!

The Red Wheelbarrow (William Carlos Williams)

so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens

love is a place (ee cummings)

love is a place 
& through this place of love move 
(with brightness of peace) all places 

yes is a world 
& in this world of 
yes live 
(skillfully curled) 
all worlds

You Fit Into Me (Margaret Atwood)

you fit into me

like a hook into an eye

a fish hook

an open eye