"Poetry is a mixture of common sense, which not all have, with an uncommon sense, which very few have"
- John Masefield
About this Quote
This quote by John Masefield speaks with the power of poetry and its capability to catch the essence of life. He recommends that poetry is a mix of two distinct senses: sound judgment, which not everybody has, and an unusual sense, which very few have. Common sense is the ability to think logically and make decisions based upon realities and proof. Uncommon sense is the ability to think outside package and develop innovative options. Poetry is an unique kind of expression that combines both of these senses. It permits us to express our ideas and feelings in a way that is both logical and imaginative. By combining sound judgment and unusual sense, poetry can catch the complexities of life in a way that is both significant and stunning.
"We don't attempt to have any theme for a number of the anthology, or to have any particular sequence. We just put in things that we like, and then we try to alternate the prose and the poetry"
"Concrete poets continue to turn out beautiful things, but to me they're more visual than oral, and they almost really belong on the wall rather than in a book. I haven't the least idea of where poetry is going"
"I think Ginsberg has done more harm to the craft that I honor and live by than anybody else by reducing it to a kind of mean that enables the most dubious practitioners to claim they are poets because they think, If the kind of thing Ginsberg does is poetry, I can do that"
