Cracking The 500

These tips are offered so you’ll
agree there is more to poetic
life than popularity – but –
if it’s your want to succeed,
here’s how to crack the 500
with relative ease.

Cultivate fellow poets, read
home pages, biographies, get
to know the scope of their poetry.
Use ‘stats’ to find latest posts,
read shrewdly, leave laudable
comments; you’re seeking reciprocity

so easy on the gushing tripe, be
honest and if you can’t then
resist ass-wipe commentary.
Always access home pages. Hits
there count more than poems
read. Put to bed myths about

the power of a good verse;
the power of the poet’s name
actually comes first.
Establish your readership with
an open mind in order
to receive comment in kind.

Compose your own verse clearly,
use a dictionary, a thesaurus, and
please spell correctly.
Post frequently in short verses;
list new poems first, seek examples
of how this is achieved.

Vary themes prudently, while
depression may be your driving
force it’s not tops in reader’s choice.
Focus on writing readable verse –
in the end, if all else fails,
good poetry prevails.
© I.D. Carswell 2007

For the intrepid Poem Hunter contributors