"Poetry" by Don Paterson

Don Paterson exercises a pleading tone in "Poetry," as he remarks of the importance of free literature and poetry, unobstructed by forced verses or thoughts not purely original. He does so by using simile in the midst of a metaphor. Paterson contrasts pure and forced poetry. When describing non-flowing and unnatural verse, he likens its voice to: "a bar room's singer – boastful / with his own huge feeling, drowned by violins." Unnatural poetry does not sit well with the reader and is weaker than literature written normally off the tip of the pen, unencumbered by deadlines or rushing. Poetry that is pure and worthwhile is "like a mountain spring, anonymous and serene." Extending this simile, the last lines speak of the spring's water, as it "sings of nothing." It is not owned by any one person, but rather simply conveys ideas and human experience. Paterson delivers this message of the necessity of natural poetry through his similes and metaphor, as he signifies the importance of allowing words to flow through the writer.