Poets nowadays have a new objective: stop the scroll. 

It's not as easy as you might think. If you're using sexy pictures, crazy gifs, or exploding anythings to get attention for your poems, I've got news for you: it's not your poems people are looking at!

Here's what you'll hear if people are truly reading your poems:

•  I can't believe you wrote this!
•  This is incredible!
•  How did you think of this??
• Why aren't you famous?

You'll also get a lot of shares, not just likes. You'll know in your bones when you've really touched people. You'll also know when you haven't.

But here's the real problem: you might be capable of getting people's attention with your poems, but you've yet to master the art of stopping the scroll. This art is slightly different than the art of writing poetry. 

It's based on simple elements, but these elements are really hard to see and smooth out in your own poems because you're too close to them. Just like you often need another person's opinion about your outfit, hair, or overall look, it can really help to get outside insight into your poetry.

If you're not getting the kind of response you'd hoped for with your poems, or you want an edge in submitting to publications or contests, consider getting a quick polish through the button below or simply send an inquiry to pitchblackpoet@yahoo.com

I've also posted a lot of poetry tips, ideas, and exclusive access to my own poems over at my Patreon page. There's also unique pictures and  access to my flash-fiction and occult writings.

Whether you're planning to submit your poems for publication, share them on social media, self-publish them, or enter them in a contest, you need to make sure you've taken care of three basic elements:

1) Grammar. A poem with even a single grammar mistake looks weak. People expect a lot from poems. One of the things they expect is that the poetry has a solid grip on basic grammar and spelling. If your poems even have minor mistakes in punctuation or spelling, the content and meaning  of your poem may be wasted.

2) Attention Grabbing Title. You only have about 6 to 8 seconds to grab the reader's attention and keep it. Everything starts with your poem's title. Most unpublished poems I've read could use a title tweak. 

3) Strong verbs. If you use dull action words in your poem, you'll bore the reader. On the other hand, if you're inventive, they'll keep reading to the last line.

These are three of the most critical elements of your poems, but they're far from the only elements. There are dozens of other ways to polish your poems and make them stand out from the crowd. 

If you'd like some help with making sure your poems are on point before your post, publish, or submit them, use my Poem Polisher service. I can help you with fast, expert service!

I've been averaging a less than 24 hour turnaround time for polishes. Your order includes a full polish for your poem plus a full work order detailing exactly what was done with your poem and evaluating specific areas. You'll also receive a personalized tip with every polish!! 

Send an inquiry to pitchblackpoet@yahoo.com 

OR use one of the buttons below!

​You can also support me over at Patreon and get a lot of poetry tips and personal services....

Michael Cunliffe is an interesting poet with quite a lot of range and insight. You'll find him on Facebook most days, posting clean, imaginative poems. For the most part, Cunliffe plays to his strong suits by writing on traditional themes and delivering what can be best described as warmly expected (and received) lyrics. 

Every now and again, though, the poetry angels sprinkle a bit of transcendental confetti across Cunliffe's virtual pages, and the result is almost always a pleasant wisp of Zen.

For example, Cunliffe's, "Other Hand Clapping," (read by clicking the pic) is a pleasantly astonishing concrete poem,  based on the classic koan: "What is the sound of one hand clapping?" Here, Cunliffe decides to plunge past the paradox and deliberately identify one hand (the right) with the  thunderous sound of ego and self-applause, while the left hand remains a singer of soulful silence. 

I actually think this is the "answer" to that old koan -- at least one answer anyway. The sound of one hand clapping is the boundless music of the soul.  The silence of the eternal one. And I thank Cunliffe for sharing his gnosis.  Imagining the two hands in dialogue, on the precipice of "shaking" or uniting, is a brilliant poetic image, so brilliant it should be painted, or sculpted, or... made concrete. 

This is why Cunliffe deserves a double-brilliancy prize here. Not only did he realize the theme deserved visual representation, he was able to pull it off with aplomb. That's poetic instinct. You can't buy it and few are born with it. So how do you get it? Oh, by writing and writing and reading poets like Cunliffe who are solidly following the footsteps of the Muse. 

Let's take a look at a couple of other fine points from the poem.  The first is the plainness of the diction. Cunliffe realizes that  the concrete form provides enough spectacle, so the language can and should be pared down.

Second, the two hands, visualized on the page, are in dialogue, both linguistically and visually. It's a dialogue of the soul and the flesh, but the flesh ain't listening. 

Cunliffe's conclusion: 

       Your hand
Feels not mine

isn't an admission of defeat. It's a declaration of spiritual epiphany. It's the answer to the koan.

Last thing:  this poem had to be concrete to work. That's the only, and I mean only, justification for making a concrete poem. It may feel brilliant and inventive to shape your words this way, but unless the poem has to be concrete, you'll just look silly most of the time. 

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