Formal Poetry Manifesto
- Dominique Fitzpatrick-O~Dinn
Good writing should flow unstoppably from the gut like diarrhea. This is the myth of the autonomous intuitive natural poet. Poetry is not a reaction against the structure of prose. But poetry does not abolish structure: it seeks different structures. The poet can describe new aesthetic, linguistic, and social orders. My most emotional poetry was excellent therapy and irresponsible writing. I had a writing teacher who deflated hot air balloons. I began to build rigid dirigibles with an internal framework. I began to construct new grammars and narratives to speak. The poet makes meticulous decisions based on criteria she chooses.