Alison Chisholm explores a subscriber’s poem to consider how much material you should put in or take out
Deciding on the quantity of material to include in a poem requires a delicate balance. If you say too much, you risk the complaint that the poem is tedious. Say too little, and you seem to be setting out to baffle or to short-change the reader. Writer and historical researcher Greg Howes from Carmarthenshire, Wales, considers this point in relation to his poem.