Chosen Poet: Gary Snyder

How Poetry Comes to Me
It comes blundering over the
Boulders at night, it stays
Frightened outside the
Range of my campfire
I go to meet it at the
Edge of the light

Source

Snyder is a postmodern poet.  He combines a Buddhist point of view with the influence of his Beat contemporaries; he emphasizes clarity, in the minds of his audience and in the relationship between humans and their surroundings.  That can be seen here, as poetry comes to the edge of the camp like a deer would, if the deer were curious.  This personification of poetry creates a fluid relationship between the speaker, most likely Snyder, and poetry.  It allows them to grow closer and to trust one another.  The only punctuation is that comma after night, representing the longest pause in this encounter.  The poetry is clumsy on the rocks, and Snyder is the one who has to coax it to him; he knows its there, but he's the one who has to do the work to get it to truly manifest itself.  That idea goes against the postmodernist idea that "'first thought, best thought,'" is best for aesthetic appeal.