000 65890 p6 adj 5 1 21pts

The Soul of a Poet (Questions and Answers)

(1) Must a poet know how to write? No , for there is poetry in music that touches the heart , and in the songs of the ignorant and hopeful at work .

(2) To be a poet , then , must one deal in rhyme? No , for there is poetry in fine art displayed and in the photographs on a grandmother’s night table .

(3) Is it necessary for the poet to exhibit beauty in descriptive phrases , using similes and metaphors?

No . Poetry may also be found in the hard core of reality , in the stark light of truth .

(4) The poet , must she also be a teacher , striving to awaken her reader’s sense of social justice?

Not so . She might be just a friend , sharing experiences of common interest with the reader .

(5) A poet , then , is a complete person . No—poets , after all , are nicer than people .

Linda Wieser Friedman 1993

from The Methodist

T HE Sons of War sometimes are known To fight with weapons not their own , Ceasing the sword of steel to wield , They take religion’s sword and shield .

Evan Lloyd 1734 – 1776