But Carol, to say that we might recognize your voice is not to say that everything you write is the same. Is every Richard Wilbur poem the same? Is every Robert Frost poem the same? Yet they (in particular the latter) have voices that are quite recognizable. An individual voice can be deep and broad enough to allow for near infinite variety. Just as writing in form allows for variety, writing in the "form" of oneself should allow no less. It's all you have to work with, when push comes to shove. And it's fine. Like Whitman, you contain multitudes.
Once a voice is established and appreciated, it's an additional pleasure for the reader. ED's voice is obviously quite distinct, and I, like many people, are so enamoured of that voice that I derive pleasure even from her lesser poems. It's sort of like getting a letter from a friend. Even a few hastily written lines summon up the same person who might, on other occasions, write a longer and more thoughtful letter.
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