On Poetry

Alexander S. Peak

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Purpose is

Subjective.  And

Thus, so is the purpose of

Poetry.

The purpose of any

Given thing

Is determined by the

Owner of said

Given thing.  This

Purpose can be redefined by the

Owner thereof at any

Time the owner so chooses, or by

The next owner upon

Transfer.

A table,

Thus, may be “for glasses” or “for asses,”

As the phrase goes,

Depending solely upon the

Intention of the

Owner of said

Table.

Poetry is

Interesting.  It can have

Multiple subjective purposes

Concurrently.  This is because

Poetry cannot be truly owned like a

Given thing.  One cannot “own” what

Enters another person’s head, as there is no

Way to retrieve it without violating the natural

Rights of said

Other person.  The

Subjective purpose of the

Poetry can

Thus be defined invariably by its

Creator or its

Beholder.

There are various

Purposes that a poem’s

Creator may subjectively define for his or her

Creation.

A poem may be written to

Entertain a child, perhaps a

Child who fancies the visual concept of a

Cow jumping over the Moon.

A poem may be written purely for the

Purpose of sounding æsthetically pleasing to the

Ears of its listeners, while

Having no meaning otherwise.  Poems

May even be authored to elicit a certain

Emotional response, or to

Explore and attempt to encapsulate an

Emotion.

But can a poem be written to

Inform?  Indeed, it can, as the

Purpose of poetry is so intrinsically

Subjective.

A poem may even be written to

Sound like

Prose.

The possibilities are quite literally

Endless, given the

Subjective nature of

Poetry.

Nevertheless, a poem’s

Creator cannot force his or her

Subjective determination of his or her

Creation’s purpose onto its

Beholders—even if he or she

Wishes to!  Once again, this is because

Poetry’s purpose is inherently

Subjective.

Thus, whereas a poem’s

Creator may have intended his or her

Poetry to

Merely sound æsthetically pleasing to the

Ears of the listener, while

Having no meaning otherwise, the poems

May nevertheless elicit a certain

Emotional response in the

Beholder.

Authored 2008 by Alexander S. Peak