limonade13 Nov 2002

This time, I agree with both of you. There is no topic in a poet's experience that he should not try to tackle. A poet writes both for society and for himself, and in writing a piece that allows others to experience his grief, he gains a better handle on it himself. I would even go so far as to say that poets should try to write about things that they haven't experienced, as an exercise in empathy and perspective. It is impossible to be too close to the content of a piece you are writing - when you are writing, even if what you are saying is factually wrong, you are exposing a part of yourself, which in a very superficial way, is what poetry is all about.