Why do you like poetry so much?

Now that I’m retired, I like having the time to devote to useless beauty rather than a pragmatic job. Also, I like exercising the intuitive part of my brain.

What "truth" does poetry convey that prose doesn't?

I think poetry and fictional prose can convey the same truths. The difference, I think, is that poetry focuses more on imaginative language and on telling the truths indirectly.

Another take by Margaret Atwood – “With a lyric poem, you look, meditate and put the rock back. With fiction, you poke things with a stick to see what will happen.”

How can one tell "good" poetry from "bad poetry"?

Generally speaking, a bad poem uses clichés and deals in hackneyed ideas. But beyond that, I am still trying to figure out the answer to that question. (See the PoemsFray every Tuesday.)

How does poetry differ from language to language?

I don’t know since I read foreign poetry only in translation. However, Eastern European poetry is more politically oriented than American poetry, which is why, for example, Polish poets have won the Nobel Prize in Literature twice in the last 25 years.

What general area of business do you work in?

Am a retired English teacher, natch.