What do poems do?

 I asked ChatGPT:

Certainly! When we think of what poems *do* with their subjects, we can look at the various ways poets engage, explore, or transform their topics. Here's a list of verbs that describe what poems can do with their subjects:

### **Verbs for What Poems Can Do:**

1. **Praise** – to celebrate or admire the subject.

2. **Honor** – to recognize the value or dignity of the subject.

3. **Question** – to probe or challenge the subject, raising doubts or exploring uncertainties.

4. **Mourn** – to express sorrow or grief over the subject.

5. **Reveal** – to uncover hidden aspects or truths about the subject.

6. **Meditate** – to contemplate or reflect deeply on the subject.

7. **Critique** – to analyze or find fault with the subject.

8. **Celebrate** – to joyfully acknowledge the subject's worth or beauty.

9. **Lament** – to express regret or sorrow for the subject.

10. **Invoke** – to call upon the subject or summon its presence (often seen in odes or invocations).

11. **Explore** – to investigate or wander through the complexities of the subject.

12. **Reflect** – to mirror or consider the subject in a thoughtful way.

13. **Confront** – to face the subject directly, often in a bold or challenging manner.

14. **Embody** – to give form or expression to an abstract idea or feeling through the subject.

15. **Personify** – to attribute human qualities to the subject, particularly if it’s inanimate or abstract.

16. **Transform** – to alter the subject, changing its meaning or appearance through metaphor or imagination.

17. **Imagine** – to re-create or envision the subject in a new or altered form.

18. **Exalt** – to elevate or glorify the subject beyond its ordinary state.

19. **Expose** – to lay bare or reveal something about the subject, often uncomfortable or hidden truths.

20. **Illuminate** – to shed light on the subject, making it clearer or more understandable.

21. **Examine** – to look at the subject closely and analytically.

22. **Deconstruct** – to break down the subject into its parts or challenge its accepted meaning.

23. **Commemorate** – to mark or remember the subject, often with a sense of reverence.

24. **Celebrate** – to recognize with admiration, often in an exuberant or joyful way.

25. **Challenge** – to test or oppose the subject, raising doubts or new perspectives.

26. **Romanticize** – to idealize the subject, often giving it an exaggerated sense of beauty or perfection.

27. **Condemn** – to express strong disapproval of the subject.

28. **Observe** – to watch or take note of the subject in detail.

29. **Envision** – to imagine or picture the subject in a future or hypothetical state.

30. **Eulogize** – to speak or write in praise of the subject, often in memory of someone who has died.

31. **Contrast** – to compare the subject with something else, highlighting differences.

32. **Yearn** – to express longing or desire for the subject.

33. **Bewilder** – to confound or confuse the subject, making it seem mysterious or puzzling.

34. **Resist** – to oppose or push back against the subject.

35. **Confess** – to admit something personal or hidden about the subject.

36. **Celebrate** – to acknowledge the joy or beauty in the subject (repeated for its versatility).

37. **Invoke** – to summon or appeal to the subject, often as part of tradition or ritual.

38. **Depict** – to describe or portray the subject vividly and accurately.

39. **Romanticize** – to idealize or embellish the subject (not just in a positive sense, but often adding dramatic allure).

40. **Interrogate** – to aggressively question the subject, seeking answers or accountability.

These verbs capture a range of possibilities for how poems can interact with, reshape, or address their subjects. Each verb suggests a different stance or relationship between the poet, the reader, and the subject of the poem.

Here are more verbs that describe what poems can do with their subjects:

1. **Embrace** – to warmly accept or encompass the subject.

2. **Intertwine** – to weave together different ideas or images with the subject.

3. **Criticize** – to express disapproval or analyze flaws in the subject.

4. **Romanticize** – to idealize or make the subject seem more beautiful or appealing than it is.

5. **Anticipate** – to foresee or look forward to something about the subject.

6. **Observe** – to carefully notice or watch the subject.

7. **Contemplate** – to think deeply about the subject.

8. **Depict** – to describe or represent the subject vividly.

9. **Immortalize** – to make the subject timeless, preserving it forever.

10. **Grieve** – to express deep sorrow or loss for the subject.

11. **Nourish** – to provide emotional or intellectual sustenance related to the subject.

12. **Acknowledge** – to recognize or admit the presence or reality of the subject.

13. **Echo** – to repeat or reflect the subject in a new context.

14. **Imply** – to suggest something about the subject without directly stating it.

15. **Elevate** – to raise the subject to a higher level of importance or admiration.

16. **Compare** – to identify similarities and differences with the subject.

17. **Examine** – to look at the subject carefully and in detail.

18. **Interrogate** – to question the subject forcefully, looking for deeper truths.

19. **Negotiate** – to work through or reconcile conflicting ideas about the subject.

20. **Perceive** – to interpret or sense something about the subject in a particular way.

21. **Relate** – to connect or show the relationship between the poet and the subject.

22. **Reveal** – to uncover hidden truths or aspects of the subject.

23. **Subvert** – to undermine or overturn expectations related to the subject.

24. **Testify** – to bear witness or provide evidence of the subject’s significance.

25. **Yearn** – to express deep longing or desire for the subject.

26. **Expose** – to reveal hidden or uncomfortable truths about the subject.

27. **Admonish** – to warn or reprimand the subject.

28. **Proclaim** – to announce or declare something forcefully about the subject.

29. **Transform** – to change or alter the subject in a significant way.

30. **Wrestle** – to struggle with or attempt to resolve conflict with the subject.

These verbs broaden the possibilities of what poems can *do*—whether through emotional, intellectual, or imaginative engagement with their subjects.

Some examples: Here’s a list of 3-5 poems with their titles and a description of what they do with their subjects:

### 1. **“Ode to a Nightingale” by John Keats**

   - **What it does:** *Praises* and *meditates on* the beauty and transcendence of the nightingale’s song, while also *contrasting* the fleeting nature of human life with the seemingly eternal song of the bird.

### 2. **“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot**

   - **What it does:** *Questions* and *laments* the inner life and hesitations of the speaker, *exposes* his self-doubt and insecurity, and *critiques* the alienation and paralysis of modern life.

### 3. **“Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas**

   - **What it does:** *Commands* and *challenges* the subject (his dying father) to resist death, while also *mourning* the inevitability of mortality.

### 4. **“The Negro Speaks of Rivers” by Langston Hughes**

   - **What it does:** *Honors* and *celebrates* the deep history and resilience of Black culture, *illuminates* the connections between the individual and collective past, and *reflects* on the power of heritage.

### 5. **“Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson**

   - **What it does:** *Personifies* death as a kind and patient guide, *meditates on* mortality and the afterlife, and *explores* the inevitability of death with calm reflection.

These examples show how poets engage with their subjects in diverse ways—whether by praising, questioning, confronting, or mourning—and how their approach shapes the reader’s experience of the poem.