o What i look for in a poem — my own and others’ — is economy of expression. The poet who writes for the sake of the poem has it; the “poet” who writes for the sake of himself typically does not.
o Just because something is “poetic” does not make it a POEM.
o “Minimalism” is not only to be found in poetry, but in art, music and, indeed, life itself. In poetry it means using the fewest possible words to achieve the greatest possible effect, or what i call “economy of expression.”
o The poet does not write the poem….it does. Writing a poem should be an act of surrendering the ego to the autonomous voices of the Unknown.
o “Minimalism” in poetry doesn’t just mean the poem is short (as in micropoetry or haiku), but that it uses a minimum of words to achieve a maximum of effect — no matter how long or short it may be.
o “Meaning” is a hypothetical construct and irrelevant to the poem, whether given to it by its writer or reader. The poem has no meaning apart from its own existence which, in turn, has no purpose other than itself.
o I do not write a poem to advance myself, but to advance the poem. For me, writing a poem is an act of surrendering the ego to the Unknown.
o Bad poetry is easier to recognize than to define. (w/ apologies to W.H. Auden)
o What I call “hypnagogic poetry” is the result of sixty years of poetic writing and experimentation. It differs from other poetry in that it has no intention whatsoever to convey meaning, beauty, inspiration, emotion, feelings, advice, convictions, narrative or any of the other emotive and cognitive things typically conveyed by other poetic forms. Instead, through a poetic process I call “hypnagogic writing” the intention of the poem is to create a felt, a palpable SHIFT IN CONSCIOUSNESS in the reader, not unlike a marijuana “contact high” or “acid trip.”
Poems by L.G. Corey 