How do you know when a poem is finished?
I tend to think poems resemble us (or is it that we resemble poems?) in that they are never really finished. They exist as versions of themselves at different points in time. However, there are specific moments when I realize I would be comfortable sending the poem out to a journal. For me, the revision process is sort of a dialogue I engage with the poem. We ask each other where we want to go and what do we want to say but couldn’t in a way that feels complete to us. After a while, the conversation comes to a natural pause. It’s then when I know I’m ready to let the poem go. However, there are times where the conversation resumes after the poem has been sent out or even after it has been published. I go back and revise the poem. I add more connections, questions, and sometimes, entirely new poems will come out from that practice.
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