What does it mean to be a word-smith? Can one explanation be ( A person capable of fashioning a poem or prose using ordinary words? Or someone who owns an Oxford Dictionary, and they aren't afraid to use it?)??? I would prefer the former not the later. It is just a matter of personal taste. I would rather see a poem created using words like, sun, moon. heart, endurance, thoughts, feelings, pain, romance, hate, love, as examples. Than seeing a poem comprised entirely of words such as, Supercilious, Sanctamonius, Cathartic, Luminary, there are so many amazing words to choose from. Yet I would caution using those words sparingly. If you can't paint your picture with ordinary words, using ones that most will have a hard time understanding won't help matters. If a poem is about love or loss, use your words carefully. Do not disguise psychiatric journaling as poetry. I don't want to be on prozac to read someone's mental disorder. Thats time, I will never recover. It is also cruel to inflict your misery upon another. Overly sentimental pap is next on my list. How many ways are you going to describe a broken heart in a poem? The super sweet poetry of a hopeful person can be just as wretched as the greeting cards they should be writing for. I know that this sounds cynical, mean spirited and, even angry. Its not. I am just tired of reading about magical purple unicorns, or hearing about how the blood ran down the walls, as I was abused as a child, and having people call it poetry. I promise to do my best, to not waste your time. If, I write something that you feel is sub-standard or even down right awful, feel free to comment. It is YOUR OPINION. I would only ask that if, you feel the powerful urge to correct or edit one of my poems, you do so with the goal of helping me. I will never hurt anothers feelings by running down their work. That is mean spirited and cruel. I won't do that. I am not an editor. I am very new to poetry. I do not have years and years of writing under my belt. But, as Jesse Helms once said about Pornography, "I can't define it for you, but I know what it is when I see it." Posting this, will...I hope spark a discussion on what we think poetry is or isn't. I hope it will create honest discussions on how to help anothers writing. If one of us is improved, then as a community we are all improved. I want to see the absolute best poetry, we as a growing community can create. Feel free to comment on this. I would hope though, that you would restrain yourself from burning me in effigy or sending hate mail and pipe bombs. David S. Baker Pahrump, Nevada