by way of explanation

to write verse that can be held together
by words that keep their meaning but reflect
the many sides of thought in every weather
requires that the poet must at first reject
those words that his or her right meaning
approximate but never in fact reach
the correct attitude and proper leaning
but choose instead the words that chide or teach
what we do when we write requires a choice
between the flowery and the absolute
each of us makes decisions in our voice
and tunes our mental version of the lute
to play those tunes on immaterial strings
that speak correctly of the proper things