The answer is over-easy: the Egg. If we look at in the scrambled theory of evolution, egg laying came before anything evolved into a chicken, then some plucky dinosaur produce an egg that brought about the chicken. And the yolk’s on us.This was going to be the original Jurassic Park movie but it was pecked a part and determined that it needed more flair.

Mork from Ork traced his direct evolution from the chicken, too. This is direct evidence of comedic development, so the true question is “What came first? The rubber chicken or the rubber egg?”

(Just in fun from lack of sleep while pondering the real question.)

The why I write evolved out of why I read: to go to another place. And that came from my high school buddy, Steve. He introduced me to his Edgar Rice Burroughs collection. I was intrigued. “The Princess of Mars” by Burroughs was the first book I actually read through my own initiative. I liked the main character, John Carter. He was transported to another world and so was I. I read the book in two days. Then I drove to the nearest book store and bought book two of the series.

Later, I discovered that Burroughs wrote the Tarzan books. I was fascinated by the detail and the story of the ape-man. Tarzan, on the page, is one of the most fascinating characters of all time. I was going to the bookstore on a regular basis. I would stand and read jacket covers all over the store. I started imagining putting words onto paper that were my words.

Professor Adams, small stature and gray hair, did not come into the picture until my freshman year at college. I had a writing class with her. She was a woman passionate about writing. And she encouraged detail and your own thoughts. My first essay was entitled “I Got the Music in Me.” For some reason, even with the A’s in high school, I really wanted to write something good for her. And I did. She read it to the class. The moment reflected the end of the John Cusak movie “A Sure Thing” where the instructor, a wise and passionate older woman read his essay to the class; except I did not get the girl. I got the passion to write more.

At the end of the trimester(that’s how they did it then), I said to another friend, “I am going to write a book.” Paul chuckled and said, “Right.”

And I have been writing since.

My next part of my journey came from another teacher and poet, Herb Scott at Western Michigan University. He taught the wordsmithing of poetry which led to my first poem about G.I. Joe. I wrote about my childhood, the scar on the cheek and his marriage to Barbie that involved a jeep laced with toilet paper. He taught me to observe. Later poems explored sound, emotion and voice.

This journey with these people, characters, authors and words added flavor and zest to my life through words and stories. Therefore, I want my words to do what other people’s words have done for me. I write because I want my words, like the words I have read, to fascinate, to question and to have purpose. I want my words to evoke emotion: laughter, tears, despair and hope. I want my words to live. I want my words make someone a better person. I want my words to tell a story that entertains and provides escape. I want to take others to another world and discover heroes.

I write because of many reasons and people, but mainly because another writer, Professor Adams, read my essay aloud in class. My words meant something to someone, and that moment is one I continually pursue.

The science of poetry is the technique and tools of the author to create the poem and the voice of the poem. This is where the literary terms taught in classes come in: simile, metaphor, musical devices, rhyme patterns, imagery and structure. These are characteristics that set forms of poetry apart from other forms. Yet in this paradox of rules, poetry can break the rules. E. E. Cummings and Emily Dickinson are prime examples.

Because there are many great works that in no way resemble each other in structure of technique, defining poetry is difficult. However, the tie that binds poetry together is the essence that speaks to the reader or listener. That essence is “voice.” A voice communicates the literal and underlying messages of the speaker; it contains the relevance, the theme, and the soul of the poem. Thus, voice is the art of poetry.

Therefore, in writing an essay on poetry, the writer needs to build a thesis statement that reflects the art and/or science of poetry: Communication, Relevance, Voice, Imagery, Technique and Structure. The focus of the essay may depend on what the writer wants to write about or what has been assigned by an instructor. It can be just about the theme of the poem, it can be about the speaker and voice, or it can be about the literary devices the author uses. Whatever the case or combination, the writer needs to look at the component(s) and pull examples from the poem that illustrate it. To do this, I ask my students questions.

Communication. Does the poem communicate a subject? Does the poem communicate a theme? Jean Toomer wrote “Reaper”. The subject of the poem is a reaper cutting grass that cuts a rat. The theme of the poem, upon looking into the tools of imagery suggests that death is mechanical and continual. These subject and theme can comprise the whole essay depending how detailed the analysis breaks down the words and phrases.

Relevance. Is the subject or theme relevant or important to the reader? Can the reader relate to it? Most high school students say that the subject of “Reaper” is not relevant to them because they do not cut grass or work on a farm, yet the theme can be identifiable to them because they have dealt with death in some form.

Voice. Who is the speaker? Based on the words, what can you tell me about the speaker? What is the speaker’s tone? What is the speaker’s attitude or emotions? As with communication and relevance, voice is a major component that makes up the art of poetry. The voice gives us insight into the character of the speaker and the message and motivation of the character.

Imagery. What pictures are drawn? What senses are given pictures? How does imagery illustrate and communicate the speaker’s voice and message? What
colors are used? How does the alliteration add to the sound of the poem? Imagery is the construction of “pictures” for any of the five senses These questions lead to metaphor, symbolism, concrete nouns, musical devices and word choice.

Technique and Structure. Does the chosen structure assist the poet in communicating the theme? How does the repetition of a line add to the voice of the speaker? In other words, what does the writer do to enhance the poem and make the above components work together? Technique and structure choice overlap. From this component comes the author’s preferred style. It can take us from Dickinson’s poetry of phrases to the metered rhyme pattern that adds a lyrical effect to Longfellow’s “The Wreck of the Hesperus” and its tragic tale.

These six components work together in a good poem no matter the poet and the poem. So, when writing an essay on poetry, look at Communication, Relevance, Voice, Imagery, Technique and Structure to guide the construction of the thesis statement. This understanding of the art and science of poetry leads to infinite number of good essays where the essay can delve into the intricacies of what gave life to the body of work, what made the blood flow in the veins and what gave breath to the voice. In other words, what made it real? And one can write an essay that respects the soul of the poem and the mind of the poet.