How do you know when a poem is finished?
It’s really just a feeling. Just like how poems start for me is how they end. A poem will rush into my life and linger for a while. So, I know a poem is finished when I feel like the immediacy of it is over, when I feel like all the noise and heat has receded and I can see what beauty is left behind. That’s at least how a first draft goes. In terms of editing and revising, I know a poem is done when I can read it out loud without stumbling over a line. I’ve found voice is really important to me as a poet, so I pay attention to how the poem sounds spoken aloud, how it flows sonically. So, for me, I always read the poem out loud and when I feel like the flow is there, when it rises and falls, and dissipates naturally, then that’s the end for me.
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