A Poem

I feel a rush of joy when I discover a poem that speaks to me. I especially like quotations or poems about the writing process. Here’s one that I recently discovered…




A Poem                                          


By John Travers Moore

A poem must be waited,

Not sought after,

Enjoyed,

Not worried about,

Written spontaneously,

Not over-worked,

But built with enthusiasm,

Not despair,

Created for self

Not neighbor

Filled with music

Not studied cadence—

It makes its own rules

By it is own right

Whether in a pattern

Or on a new trail.

But a above all,

A poem must be demanded by itself.



Copyright 1971 from Poems: On Writing Poetry


Libra Publishers, Inc, page 19


John Travers Moore's poetry has appeared in the New York Times, Saturday Evening Post, Good Housekeeping, Horn Book, Child Life, among other publications.