By James Harvey Stout (deceased). This material is now in the public domain. The complete collection of Mr. Stout's writing is now at http://stout.mybravenet.com/public_html/h/ >
A poem is not contained in the words on the page, any more than is music within the notations on a musical score. The written poem is only a suggestion of the experience.
The suggestion operates through sound, rhythm, thought, and image -- to show us the path to that experience.
The poem always exists -- before it is brought into physical form, and after it is lost.
