Hate to waste space for a new topic on this one chaps n chappesses, but I've just found the first poem that I actually love, appreciate and understand totally. It's called 'Howl' by Ginsberg.
And yes, I'm pissed.
But it's fuckin magnificent, even though it's taken me four days to read it three times.
Worra pome!
Bring on these beat poety types I say.

The edit!
Oh fuck, having just traversed this site, I suddenly came across Julian's 'Howl against performance poetry' thread.
I thought I understood it but now don't. Bastards.
However Julian, I disagree with your idea that
'performance poetry is eating away at the the universal characteristics of poetry'
as this is the first pome I have ever ever read that I feeel needed performing immediately. Preferably by me.
But I will submit to your experience. In fact no I won't.
Will argue the point when I see you in the Tudor

Apologies for the above, (or the way the the site is set out, the below)I realise that most of you poety types are aware of this pome.
But how did you lot get a 'eureka' moment?
Did you? Or did you just do it?
If you did, pray elaborate.

I can only speak for myself of course but often I'm writing about things that happen. Mostly I write about things that have a meaning. My best work though, is often not written because I've tried to sit down and think about it. My best poetry comes inexplicably. In particular, my political poems I just need to write about them, I need to say something.

However, the ones a lot of poets have liked and the ones that people not normally exposed to poetry like are two different things.

However one that both types of people have seemed to enjoy was read at the Oxton Secret Gardens I read a poem about the Mersey Ferries. Now it's not in anyway life changing, it's not full of messages but it does poke fun at the things that annoy those who use the ferries every week. That one was actually written whilst I was sitting on the third floor of Liverpool Maritime Museum, on the seat by the window, overlooking the tate and many people swarming around me. I wrote three poems whilst looking out that window and The Ferries was something that came to me and I wrote after seeing the Ferry on the river. Not a special moment, and not a quiet moment with hundreds swarming around the museum, just a normal moment.

I don't know who said it, but I'm about to repeat it....'Poetry Happens'

I wrote my best (and least titled) poem over a bowl of cornflakes one morning. I had the whole concept of repeating refrains and the idea of it slowly dawning on the reader/audience that I wasn't talking about an entirely wholesome relationship before writing it down. The whole Eureka moment for that one took about ten minutes and then I just had to write it down.

For one that I wrote called symphonetic, I was wandering around for four days unable to concentrate on what people were saying to me, my mind wandering back to the concept, and writing sections of it on post it notes, picking bits of it on the guitar, etc. before sitting down to write it.