“So what makes a good turn in a poem? Me, I like it powerful. That shock of…’oh, they can’t say that, can they?’ I want an epiphany, something that changes my view of the world, or adds to my understanding. I want it to step up and out of the current context, to an overview of the whole world. (Drilling down to the tiniest particular can work, too). Wasn’t it Godel’s Theorem that states no system can be completely explained within itself, that is, cannot be fully self-contained? So we have to leap out of a poem to get a clear view of it, as well.”
–P. M. F. Johnson
Insightful consideration of some strong turns in a recent issue of The New Republic can be found here. Check it out!
Structure & Surprise 