How do you know when a poem is finished?
I stop reworking a poem when it just feels right. I might tinker with punctuation, line breaks, and diction for a while. I might come back to a draft months later when I wake up one morning and realize a stanza needs cutting. I might rework it in a different way after a rejection just to see how that goes. Editing is all about choices and sometimes time gives insight. But eventually it just feels complete, like there’s nothing more to be done. At some point you stop trying to bake a pie that’s already being served. You stop knitting a mitten that’s being worn. End scene.
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