Readers come to a poem with their own individual sets of experiences so an image in a poem will not always suggest the same thing to all readers. In “Cloud Painter,” for example, the poet presents the image of an oak clutching a rock in a painting. Although most readers will probably see a picture that is consistent with the one the poet sees, no two images will be identical. Every reader will have his or her own mental image of a particular tree clinging to a rock; some will be remembered experiences, while others will be imaginative creations. Some readers may even be familiar enough with the work of the painter John Constable to visualize a particular tree clinging to a particular rock in one of his paintings.
By conveying what the poet sees and experiences, images enable readers to participate in the poet’s mental processes. Through this interaction between reader and poet, readers’ minds are opened and enriched by perceptions and associations different from—and possibly more profound than—their own.
One advantage of images is their extreme economy. Just a few words enable poets to evoke specific emotions in readers and to approximate the experience the poet wishes to create. Consider in the following poem how just a few visual images create a picture.