In her essay The Art of Finding, published on the Poetry Society of America website, Linda Gregg explores the craft of poetry that transcends language itself.
She begins with a striking claim: “I believe the ultimate beauty of poetry lies in discovering the material world, not in crafting finished verses.” To her, the true value of poetry isn’t found in polished language or superficial adornments, but in discovery. If poets merely refine their words, the act of creation becomes a mechanical production rather than a living birth.
This discovery, she suggests, is a rebellion against entrenched patterns—patterns that include the rigid aesthetic frameworks of poetry as well as our habitual ways of understanding the world.
Classical poetry established its own narrative molds, and when later poets follow these templates, they’re left polishing phrases; meanwhile, a ossified mindset leads directly to taking the world for granted, stifling the capacity for discovery. As a result, we end up knowing and expressing the world through books and borrowed models.
This points to a common predicament: it’s hard for us to see the world in a pure, open way. Fixed patterns—whether literary traditions or daily routines—act like a filter, blocking us from the raw essence of things. This is why, toward the end, she marvels at how many poets fail to truly see the material world.
Yet, seeing the material world is no easy feat. Discovery demands not just a break from poetry’s conventional norms, but also a defiance of our own perceptual laziness. As for how to see, the real breakthrough may lie in our willingness to keep questioning, feeling, and risking—without intent, without preconception, letting things reveal themselves naturally.