Craft: Visual Metaphor and Memory

Duncan, Stummer, Matisse, Vermeer, Sander, Bearden, Meyers, "Which Seed"

Previously in The Sharpener, I’ve discussed being attentive to metaphors vibrating all around us. Poetry guides readers to these metaphors. In moments of peak emotion—moment of loss, heartbreak, falling in love—poetry becomes a necessity rather than a luxury. To paraphrase Stanley Kunitz, a poem is a series of road signs that say: “Pay Attention!” “This…