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SESSION FIVE
Wednesday, November 26th, 2025
This session is “The MAGIC of POETIC VOICE.”

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WHAT IN THE HECK “IS” The MAGIC of POETIC VOICE?
by Richard W. Jenkins, MFA
©2002

After reading, closely studying, and writing poetry with considerable depth for many years, I have come to a few conclusions and developed a theory about what it is that captivates, impresses, and causes us to retain the feeling(s from certain poems and writings, and it is what I call, “poetic voice”.

The following is a bit lengthy, but it’s entertaining, interesting, informative, and educational reading that reveals amazing secrets that will instantly raise your understanding of poetry and creative skill level, whether you’re a story or novel writer, a poetess or poet.

Poetic Voice is not a term I coined, but it is one that seems to evade a proper or easily grasped explanation, which I will describe in my own way in an effort to make it more clearly understood, learned, and, thereby, more easily accessible and, hopefully, utilized by my fellow poets and writers for their own benefit in poetry writing improvement, reward, and enjoyment.

Whether one knows it (or not), chances are what attracts us to our favorite writer or poet has a lot to do with their poetic voice. The theory I’ve arrived at is that readers select certain authors to read in much the same way(s) they select their personal friends: on the basis of the voice or personality of that person.

Assuming I’m correct that poetic voice is so important, and having an impacting, pleasing, and memorable one greatly determines whether you’ll be widely and popularly published and read, a study of poetic voice seems worth a little time and effort. Let’s take a close look at this theory of poetic voice, with a focus on how that voice works in poetry.

In this poetic voice lesson, let’s ask ourselves what poetic voice really is; let’s take apart this notion of poetic voice by isolating its components and thinking about how each might contribute to the resonance, compelling appeal, and impact a poet’s voice might have on their readers.

At first blush, finding a legitimate definition of poetic voice is not as easy as one might think. The simplest idea/explanation that comes to mind is that poetic voice is the feeling derived from a writer’s personality, writing style, method of conveying thought, feeling, and emotion.

That is somewhat helpful, but for the purposes of getting our teeth into the concept and applying it to our own poetic voice, consider this: One’s poetic voice is their characteristic sound, technique, manner, and tone, etc; of a particular poet or poem. On the page, poetic voice comprises: diction (word choice), syntax (word arrangement), attitude, subject matter, rhythmic feel and beat or flow, line lengths, line-breaks, punctuation, the presence or absence of meter, rhyme, and tone, imagery, metaphor, correct enjambment, etc; and, all of these combined set the moment (importance, significance, consequence, noteworthiness, weight, interest, and so forth) of a poem’s impact and/or effect on its readers.

Let’s more closely examine some of these elements in order to better grasp what and how each might contribute to one’s poetic voice.

A poem, or the idea of/for a poem, begins with subject matter. It’s an important starting point in developing poetic voice. Typically, when we mature as poets, we begin to write about people and topics in thoroughly consumed ways, and once we discover each poem’s subject matter, the practiced and developed poetic voice tends to follow.

Another aspect of subject matter would be the imagery and metaphor one uses. Images and metaphors are drawn from (for example Nature, home, the expression of emotions, happiness, sorrow, philosophy, disdain), their originality and the aptness of their comparisons all contribute to a poet’s poetic voice.
Imagery might include the manner in which a thought, emotion, or item is expressed, for example: “The morning dew sparkled like diamonds lighting my deepest desire.

An example of metaphor is: “Gentle whispers of love upon the breeze spoke with every leaf’s flutter, each a touch of your lips upon my heart.”

Tone is a musical term that suggests the very sound of the voice coming from the page. It is, also, sometimes used interchangeably with mood. How writers achieve tone or mood brings into play other elements of poetic voice, like diction and syntax. A poet’s sensitivity to a word’s shades of meaning affect diction. For example, it will dictate what synonym for “run” will be used in a certain poem, knowing that gallop, jog, and flee each indicate, besides a different speed, a different mood; and, the order of words (syntax) will be influenced, not only by rules of grammar and which word sounds best, but, also, by the weight of the idea or thought the word(s) convey.

The length of lines, rhythmic feel and beat or flow of the writing, and punctuation … the way they imply pauses, infer emphasis, prompt the reader to speed up, slow down, or stop … give us a glimpse into how the poet wants the piece to sound when read aloud, or to be felt and understood when reading.

The use of meter and rhyme and their way of satisfying us at a deep level, may leave us with the feeling that the poet sees things in an orderly manner, as opposed to the more random, loose feeling conveyed by some modes of loose, even abstract, or ambiguous Free Verse poetry.

Other aspects achieved with these choices is writing that contains nuance and attitude. All the elements work together to become the writer’s poetic voice or personality behind the words on the page.
Some things we can all do to become aware of our own and other’s poetic voice is to listen for it.

Do you want to sharpen your ear for poetic voice? Try this: Find a writer’s voice that you like and a writer’s voice you don’t like. Study them closely. How are they different? Similar? Try to find the ingredients that make one voice appealing and the other unappealing.

(here is an example of fascinating poetic voice, by Linda Marie Van Tassell, Master Poetess)

“MEMBERS OF THE JURY”
(The only difference between a flower and a weed is judgement.)

Members of the jury please be seated.
I am about to present a poem.
May it be received and oft repeated
among many others if you know them.
I neither weep nor sleep for flowers cast,
neither bow before the chantry of death.
I humbly submit the present and past,
the now that is bathed with fortunate breath.

I appear before you a sacrament,
a revenant born of beauty and pain,
a daily reminder and punishment
of that which has fallen when echoes remain.
A conversant belle in a sacred shell,
a fledgling born with wings of midnight sun,
a ponderous depth, a merciful swell,
I am the lamplight of a dream-span spun.

Members of the jury, both wise and brave,
there are no shadows in this wholesome release.
We all want heaven, and heaven we crave.
There can be no guilt in the arms of peace.
I place before you all the evidence:
the pillars of truth, the boulders of guile,
the washbowl of unstained deliverance,
the half moon gleaming in back of my smile.

My hands are silently decomposing
like petals fading in gardens of stone.
My eyes yet open are slowly closing,
loosen the teardrops and lashes of bone.
My words verboten are a requiem,
a surge of faith in an ice-bed of reeds,
a lover’s song in vaunt compendium,
a rosary of confessional beads.

Members of the jury, I acquiesce.
I painted the bridges; I burned the sky.
Perfectly human, I have no regrets.
Shredded remains are my only reply.
Let my words be enough to understand,
I dragged my fingers through layers of dust
as my heart was pulled through a desert land
erecting such treasures as hope and trust.

I write that I might breathe in every line
to live long beyond the breath of pages,
to linger on lips that rise above mine
with the sovereignty of golden ages.
Members of the jury, I gently close.
Judge as you will for it is your duty.
As an albatross fell, a songbird rose.
A prayer bird soars on wings of beauty.

by Linda Marie Van Tassell ©2019

Remember, your poetic voice will greatly determine the quality and impact your poetry has, not only on your readers, but on a publisher, as-well.
So, next time you write a new poem, if you want your poetry to be recognized and remembered, consider composing your poetry in your most powerfully-meaningful, intriguingly- captivating, and MAGICAL POETIC VOICE.  : )

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Utilizing the understanding and poetic devices we’ve ventured through above, compose a poem of your own to share that we can all enjoy, benefit by, and learn from.

Need anything else? Want to comment, debate, disagree, need more clarity (less), have suggestions for something we should study? You name it … don’t hold back … this is how we come together and learn.

Have fun practicing and playing with your “poetic voice” between now and Wednesday, December 3rd, 2025, and we’ll see ya at our next session on “Poetic Meter”.

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