Tim, I think you're right about one's flailing around, finding a schtick that works, then sticking to it. And the remarks about voice being a function of the life one pursues or falls into are spot on. If you're going to write about farming or hunting, you're not likely to employ a romance language-derived vocabulary.
One excellent poet among us who doesn't have a distinctive voice is Alan Sullivan. That is partly because he has such a gift for mimesis. And the voice he most uncannily imitates is mine. I was just stuck with a mediocre, impenetrable, deep imagey poem in Mortal Stakes which Mark quotes above. It was a 12 liner, and then Alan grew it to 16 by composing lines 7-12. And who can tell the difference?
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