Great etiquette for reading a poem. I seem to stray from it from time to time, to my own woe.

Ron

Your first stanza goes right to the point. I like the point you make in your conclusion.

Carmen

and you make it all seem so easy,nicely done as usual,stan

this would make a wonderful personal affirmation to receite as one prepares to either write or read poetry...

Jude,
It's all been said below and said eloquently; just to add a nod.
John

You have to open up to receive.Creativity begins in the soul and then spreads out like a blossoming lotus.

You have done well in expressing the vernacular

Peter

wise words.

.... oooo, and I doooo... thank youuuuuuuu!! What's mine is yours and what's yours is mine, so I'm glad we're all in this together... It's a rum ol' game, this poetry lark... fun, though, init?!

Nah... seriously, we have to accept that poetry is a personal relationship with words on a page; what is written is a gift BOTH of self-expression as well as a good-will offering to whomsoever wishes to interact with it. We can't dictate terms. There is no right or wrong response to poetry and we can't insist that it's received in the way we might intend it. Only WE know what's going on in our own heads (well, sometimes!) and if we, as the author, are unsure as to it's complete meaning or interpretation, then we can't expect others to have any more of a clue. What I personally find most satisfying and fascinating is that HOW what I write is received sheds light and illumintion into more of my own understanding, like a mirror reflecting back. I learn a lot that way. Poetry is, after all, a living and organic process; a two-way transaction between writer and reader. And you've done a lot of business on this page today! :)) It's been a pleasure... but I never got to find Georg's cat??! xx

Sounds like you're struggling with a little writer's block. This should certainly break it loose. I remember struggling for eight weeks with that beast. I finally broke it loose with a little thing called 'It Is Written.' It doesn't take much, just a renewing of that mindset. I like this a lot!

Satisfaction comes form within..and that is a good feeling to have....great poem Jude..much wisdom.

Well stated and very true. When we put our work out for public scrutiny it may not always be perceived the way we wrote it, or the meaning may be lost in antoher's mind but...that is okay for if poetry is anything it is a nudge to the heart of the reader to get them to think.
fee

Classic! This is so very true. It's funny, I used to be a stock trader years ago. One of the first lessons taught to me was this: "If you are going to get into a stock, long or short, ask yourself why. Know when to get in, and most importantly, when to get out. Know exactly why you are doing it, and set goals." To me, this says exactly the same thing. Don't just enter tangled mess of poetic thought on a lark, have a purpose, know when to get in and out, don't waver from the goal. Sometimes the words take over and you end up in Tokyo when you wanted to fly to Berlin. Beautiful words here. Good lesson.

Very well stated.

Cheers,
Dan

A poet searching for the poetry's Schroedinger's cat will encounter always in the dark a forest of doubts that's not there.
Jude, the "purist philosophers" will be scandalized.
Good work!

Georg

I think you have given your readers some excellent points to ponder in this Jude, but it is so difficult sometimes not to have our own perceptions about what we read. In any event, another well written piece.

here here Jude -now, where's my pencil?

You write of your own experience and share what you have learned,and
we all benefit from it...I misread at times,but for the most part I hope I have never left an unkind review...a helpful critique is different,but few do that here...I write from within my own experience and hope the readers derive pleasure from it,because I always do;-)...We all are inspired by other poets to write at times, but it should still be from our own perspective...Excellent message poem Jude...ET

All good points, Jude, but I usually have a problem with lines
that begin with the word never, because I sense that I'm in for
a bit of sermonizing. To me, creative pleasure can come in many
circumstances, be it a quiet corner or, as Sage suggests, while
sipping a bottle of whiskey, preferrably with a friend or two.

-gene.

Never second guess conclusions
or become preoccupied
with critique and misunderstanding

Now, this stanza is the basis for how I write...I am out there, and I write what my gut tells me to write. I feel that you do the same.
You said it very clearly in all of the stanzas, but the above cited lines are those that I can relate to from this poem.
As always, Jude, you touch me deeply.
Much peace, love, and light,
Amber "V"

I believe that poems/stories come to me when I clear my mind and relax within my surroundings. I am not certain that the words I place upon the page are, indeed, my own, though I feel that they have come to/through me for a purpose. Once written, it is my belief that I must let them go and let them flow into a life of their own. However they are interpreted, sits well with me as I believe that all writings are subjective and/or reflective for the reader. Wise words, penned in a most nurturing manner, Jude.
Take care,
Sherry

What interests me about this "poetic protocol" is your use of the word "approach." I like it because it allows for at least two perspectives: the writer's and the reader's. Your third stanza applies just as much to a poet concerning him/herself with anticipated response as it applies to a reader opening his/her being to the possibilities of the creation.

An ideal that is highly desirable but not always attainable, as each reader approaches a poem according to his/his own perceptions and experience. I now seek not as much to be understood(oh it is wonderful if so!) in the poem's original context as to open a reader's mind and heart to reflection. I myself have misread poems. But if the reader discounts the write based on a false perception and leaves a biting critique, you are absolutely right, Jude. Both the writer and the reader lose. "Pleasure" is the key word and common courtesy for good measure. With subjects such as politics, one has to bite their tongue(I've neglected to bite mine on a couple of these, I stand corrected). This is a beautifully and thoughtfully written poem that is very timely!

Lin

Acclimation of the highest creative regard of courtesy...resourceful poetry with no hindrances...validating constructive criticism in the legion of old-time friends with a bottle of whiskey and a spittoon on a sawdust floor, "As ye would that men should do to you, do to them likewise."...Luke 6:31

Sage

I like the visuals of the first stanza, it allows many different interpretations and encourages the reader to read on... the third stanza
is one that I needed to read today; thank you for that!

Axilea

Well said Jude. If a poem doesn't come to you on its own, it wasn't meant to be written.
Hugs,
Marcia