Poetry and Power: Corrine Hales's "Power" and Why It's a Poem

Corrine Hales's poem "Power" I would say sufficiently covers the idea of a poem in one way alone: intimacy. It conveys the entire event, sure, and her own perspective on it. But it's not a piece of prose that recalls the events or simply shows you the events. The poem usually provides a window into the heart of the events or into the heart of the idea that the poet wants to convey. "Power" provides a succinct look into the mind of Hales and her perception of the events. But it never bogs itself down in the details. It keeps its perspective and shows all the events happening, but you really do FEEL them instead of reading them being shown. The last few lines, depicting the different reactions, give me the sensation that there's more going on that words on a page. Even in as few words as "I couldn't stop watching" shortly after the description of the engineer provide a level of intimacy in the situation. There's naked details told nakedly. There's levels of succinctness, such as "I couldn't stop watching" amidst more expressed ideas, like "...and the man/Was falling, sobbing, to his knees." There's intimate details told in the best fashion they could be told.