It is customary for this column to analyse a reader’s poem, or to compare and contrast a poem by one of our readers with a classic piece. Pleasing elements are highlighted, and observations are made about points in the poem that might be worth reconsidering and re-working. To make it clear from the beginning, this poem appears in the April issue of Writing Magazine, and should definitely be studied on the first of that month.
Yes, this is a spoof poem; but there is one tragic truth it reveals. Every single faux pas has been committed and submitted. Every toe-curling error has appeared on an editor’s desk, or among the entries in a competition.