Great Regulars: In the same way, we want to watch

an elite athlete, a diver, for instance, nail a high degree-of-difficulty reverse three-and-a-half somersault with no more splash than a teardrop. Just because it's a damned hard thing to do.

A poetry column provides a context for that difficulty, a bit of color commentary: Who is the poet? What is a useful way to begin thinking about the poem? How does the poem connect to the history of the art?

What sort of poem can work?

from David Biespiel: Poetry Foundation: Poetry on Deadline

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