Focus Quote by Alison Hawthorne Deming
“I like the dance between sustained focus and digression that the long poem invites. A controlling metaphor helps to sustain the long poem.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: The Long Poem, 2015
Balancing deep concentration with occasional wandering enriches extended poetic works.
In simple terms: Focus and digression together improve long poems.
Key Takeaway
Embrace both focus and wandering.
Themes
creativity
focus
poetry
Mood
thoughtful
inspired
Type
analytical
creative
When to use this quote
- writing workshops
- personal reflection
- academic analysis
Key Concepts
Narrative structure
metaphor
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you harness wandering without losing direction?
- What metaphors sustain long poems?
A Different Perspective
Too much digression can dilute the poem’s impact.
![“I did a film recently in the Republic of Georgia [upcoming 'Halo of Stars'] which was based on a long poem written by the director. We found that all these words were beautiful as a poem, but for humans it was more about the emotion or a look than just saying what was there.” quote by Lily Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e67/lily-collins-1760_beautiful_i-did-a-film-recently-in-the-republic-of_119700.jpg)
