Valentine for Ernest Mann

An Ars Poetica, “a poem that explains the ‘art of poetry,’ or a meditation on poetry using the form and techniques of a poem” (“Ars Poetica.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/learn/glossary-terms/ars-poetica), is a format poets have employed for centuries, from Roman poet Horace, to Alexander Pope, Wordsworth, and beyond. “Valentine for Ernest Mann” embraces this form, using its stanzas to examine how one can and should experience poetry in life and what kind of impact this experience will have upon the person.

Nye argues that the role of poetry is to allow the reader to see things anew, to look more closely at an object or another person and reconsider or reframe what is beautiful, valuable, and meaningful. She writes “What we have to do / is live in a way that lets us find [poems]” (Lines 12-13): with this line, she places the responsibility on the reader. Poetry cannot exist without humans living in such a way that allows them to discover it. To support this claim, Nye relays the story of the man who gave the pair of skunks as a valentine. In this example, the man “re-invented them / as valentines and they became beautiful” (Lines 21-22).