Shape

[shortstoryfan]

I'm very attracted to poems that have interesting shapes. I've noticed Jorie Graham uses the same kinds of shapes over and over in Sea Change and she also has had poems in the Boston Review and Paris Review with similar shapes. I've heard people say that the poem determines its own shape (as if it were an extension of content), but on the other hand I've heard people say that poets who use interesting shapes are just following some kind of visual aesthetic or what "feels right". What are your thoughts? Have you seen poets who use shape in interesting ways where you saw it as a value of content?

[Beautifull]

Well, I, personally don't pay attention to the shape of my poems, but I know some famous poets, like e. e. cummings who love to express their poetical thoughts through shape...personally, I just think he likes to make weird shapes with his poems for fun, bt there are definitely others who think differently. but there are some in which the poem shape makes perfect sense...like "The Red Wheelbarrow" in whick each stanza looks like a wheelbarrow. :)