Blank

I wouldn't write a guide on how to write poetry, which is what I was going to title this originally, because I think its a little beyond my understanding. I don't really know if anyone could give a guide on writing poetry unless it included lots of caveats and conditionals, and even then a poet could find an exception to these rules. So basically, there are no rules. No guidelines even I suppose.

Tell me, which sounds more like poetry. Or looks like. Or seems like. Whatever.

There is something to to be said about the single unlit light on a crosswalk. Although it has the misfortune of a broken wire or uncooperative bulb, it stands out from the rest as morbidly unique in its inability to produce light. Its friends shine brightly on without it, and it may feel alone, but it doesn't know that it has surpassed the beauty of light simply by not having one.

Now before I add breaks to the sentences, which seems to me, poetry does consistently, I wanted to first focus on the last sentence. I typed it out and then I thought to myself how unique badness was in the presence of good. Or perhaps that isn't the right wording. Misfortune in the presence of fortune. I know that the light would have never been noticed on its own (assuming its twilight and we can see the light well enough and see that it should be lit and is not - clarifying that we don't see the light not because it is dark but because it is not lit). But when you put it with other lights who shine as they should, one takes a second glance and notices the absence more acutely.

Is this metaphor accurate for people? I always try to apply it to people. My first thought was autism - that a person who has autism is only really noticed around people that do not, but of course, no person could be noticed without other people to notice them, unless you believe in a God, or some omnipresent being (reminds me of the often parodied question: "if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?") And I suppose in that way, the metaphor can't really be accurate for people. But maybe in some other way I haven't thought of yet. Comments anyone?

Ok, so the point I was getting to. Does this seem more like poetry?

Absence

There is something to to be said

about the single unlit light on a crosswalk

although it has the misfortune of a broken wire

or uncooperative bulb

it stands out from the rest as morbidly unique

in its inability to produce light

its friends shine brightly on without it

it may feel alone

but it doesn't know that it has surpassed the beauty of light

simply by not having one

I would agree with the 90% - 100% out there, that the second sounds more like poetry (ignoring that the skill of the writing is nothing close to phenomenal, and ignoring the arguments that it is so badly written it couldn't even be called poetry in the first place, in either form). The breaks between each thought makes the reader think a little more rather than simply reading forward and thinking very little about what has been said. I still think the first example could be called poetry, even though it doesn't follow the standard form as presented by the second.

Maybe I'm just full of crap.