RE: They Shake The Mountains When They Dance

I also read Kevin's post and then reread the poem. Before reading his post I had no idea about the war metaphors and everything. Before when I read the poem I was able to come up with my own interpretations and conclusions about the poem. After reading the interpretations Kevin found, I now see a different side to the poem, but I don't think what I came up with is any less right, even if it isn't what the author intended. If the authors of poems wanted readers to all come away with the same conclusions and interpretations they would have written the poem in a much more straightforward way, specifically saying what they mean. But then it's not poetry at all really. I think that poetry can have a multitude of interpretations. If it means something to someone in one way, and something to someone else in another way then what need would there be to have a 'right' way? Poetry isn't like a novel; there isn't a set, defined story line that cannot be disputed. Poetry can be understood in many different ways, none of which are wrong. If a poet wanted to write something indisputable, he or she would have written a story or a book, not a poem full of allusions and metaphors.