What is a GOOD poem?

When asked to define poetry, Robert Hayden said it is “the art of saying the impossible”. When asked to define a good poem, I say a good poem must have images, must be engaging, and, must make a personal connection. These are all the qualities of “The Whipping” by Robert Hayden. Images in the poem were vivid; I could see almost every action. Having read the poem I found it to be engaging, making me think, and making a personal connection as well.
Reading “The Whipping” I found it to have lots of images and visuals. As Robert Hayden described the violent scenes happening in the poem I could see it. “Wildly he crashes through elephant ears pleads in dusty zinnias, while she in spite of crippling fat pursues and corners him”. This is a quote from “The Whipping”, it gave me goose bumps as I imaged a young boy falling to the ground, his mother standing over him with sweat rolling down her forehead, breathing heavily trying to gather much needed energy so she can continue her brutal acts. Descriptions, in the “The Whipping” are one reason why it is a good poem.
Good poems should also be engaging. Starting the poem I thought the poem was about a mother beating her son for his wrongs. Reading on my opinion was changed. Ending the poem Robert Hayden said “ the women leans muttering against a tree exhausted, purged, avenged in part for lifelong hidings she has had to bear”. Based on this I was now lead to believe that the poem was focused on a mom beating her son out of frustration and anger not because he did something wrong. Poems should make you think and make you ask questions, “The Whipping” did this for me and this is another reason why it is a good poem.
“She strikes and strikes the shrilly circling boy till the stick breaks in her hand”. Can you imagine a beating so harsh, I can. Reading this quote made me shiver causing a chill to run up my back. I witnessed one of my family members receiving, from his mother, the same harsh whippings as the character in the poem. The pain Robert Hayden expressed was like a flashback of my own experience. “Head gripped in bony vice of knees, the writhing struggle to wrench free, the blows, the fear”, I could see my family member in this same positions begging for her to stop. A good poem should make a personal connection and “The Whipping” did this for me.
In conclusion, the poem “The Whipping” by Robert Hayden is a great example of a good poem. “The Whipping” has vivid images, it’s engaging, and made a personal connection. What do you think a good poem should be? Funny, sad, makes you smile, have a catchy title, or do you agree, that a good poem should have imagery, be engaging, and makes a connection. The answer is up to you!