"If poetry alters the way in which the reader views the world, then it has had its desired effect." ― John Barton Topic(s): Poetry More From John Barton "In the past, poetry came in the form of spells and chants used to effect change." "Sometimes poetry is inspired by the conversation entered into by reading other poems." "The experiment of the poem is mostly intuitive. I write the first draft, pulling in the various elements that interest me, in the hope that their being combined will lead to some kind of insight." More In Poetry "In Hollywood today, it’s cool for guys to wear nail polish and earrings in their lips and tongues. I don’t get it."― Scott Caan "What I wanted to do in rock ‘n roll was merge poetry with sonic scapes, and the two people who had contributed so much to that were Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison."― Patti Smith "It’s bad poetry executed by people that can’t sing. That’s my definition of Rap."― Peter Steele