Long Poetry Over 40 Lines

In general, long poems are very tricky to pull off well. They must suck you in at the beginning, like a good novel, and hold your attention solidly throughout. If a poet aims to craft a long poem it's important they make sure to create a powerful start. This encourages the reader to keep going on the task ahead. Then each line along the way must continue to captivate the reader with power and interest.

Reading a poem in most cases is more challenging for a reader than reading prose. It's up to the poet to keep that reader engaged.

Because of the higher standards necessary for the longer poem, those items get submitted as a special entry in the fiction or non-fiction area.

It's important to note that Mused exists in print form. We have determined a set length to keep the price both for printing and shipping within a certain range. That way the issue remains affordable for our many fans. Keeping a reasonable length also ensures we can get the layout work done in the time available. So we must keep every section of Mused within its length limits in order for the overall issue to be the ideal size. If an epic poem is to be included, and therefore 'push out' up to eight (or more) other regular-sized poems from the issue, it must be truly superior to all of those other works.

To get a sense of the typical poems we run in Mused, here is a history for some of our issues.

Winter 2007: average lines 20, longest lines 23
Spring 2008: average lines 26, longest lines 39
Summer 2008: average lines 18, longest lines 49
Fall 2008: average lines 15, longest lines 47
Winter 2008: average lines 20, longest lines 66
Spring 2009: average lines 21, longest lines 49
Summer 2009: average lines 17, longest lines 63
Fall 2009: average lines 20, longest lines 49
Winter 2009: average lines 21, longest lines 75
Spring 2010: average lines 24, longest lines 49
Summer 2010: average lines 24, longest lines 110
Fall 2010: average lines 23, longest lines 49
Winter 2010: average lines 25, longest lines 61
Spring 2011: average lines 22, longest lines 61
Summer 2011: average lines 25, longest lines 48
Fall 2011: average lines 26, longest lines 50
Winter 2011: average lines 23, longest lines 35
Spring 2012: average lines 24, longest lines 41
Summer 2012: average lines 20, longest lines 40
Fall 2012: average lines 23, longest lines 40
Winter 2012: average lines 24, longest lines 37
Spring 2013: average lines 28, longest lines 40
Summer 2013: average lines 22, longest lines 39
Fall 2013: average lines 23, longest lines 40
Winter 2013: average lines 22, longest lines 40
Spring 2014: average lines 22, longest lines 40
Summer 2014: average lines 23, longest lines 41
Fall 2014: average lines 24, longest lines 39
Winter 2014: average lines 26, longest lines 40
Spring 2015: average lines 20, longest lines 40
Summer 2015: average lines 21, longest lines 41
Fall 2015: average lines 22, longest lines 36
Winter 2015: average lines 23, longest lines 39
Spring 2016: average lines 25, longest lines 41
Summer 2016: average lines 23, longest lines 41
Fall 2016: average lines 20, longest lines 36
Winter 2016: average lines 20, longest lines 36
Spring 2017: average lines 24, longest lines 41
Summer 2017: average lines 23, longest lines 39
Fall 2017: average lines 25, longest lines 41
Winter 2017: average lines 20, longest lines 40
Spring 2018: average lines 19, longest lines 37


The longest poem we have ever run was in Summer 2008, when we ran "In Bloom" by Zhaleh Sarduy. The poem was 110 lines long. This powerful story explores the poet watching a beloved relative being handed a cruel medical diagnosis. The images are stunning. The angry ivy of the crooked lapels. The farmer's market smile. The petals of a flower. They bring the changing emotions to vivid life.
"In Bloom" by Zhaleh Sarduy


The second longest was "Dad's Alzheimer's - Dedicated to Claus" by Karen Hart Tillquist in Winter 2009. This was 75 lines long. Again, it is a powerful story about a daughter watching her beloved father become ravaged by Alzheimer's. It's the visuals that draw you in. He "re-reads the funny papers and never turns the page". "The porch light of my father's soul shinese with a brilliant light."
"Dad's Alzheimer's - Dedicated to Claus" by Karen Hart Tillquist

If you're considering submitting a long poem to Mused, it's worth it to read our issues and understand the type of content which resonates with us. For longer poetry, especially, it should be full of unusual, gripping imagery. It should draw us into a story which catches at our heart. It should engage us to that very last word.

As always, ask with any questions!

Poetry Types
Rhyming Poem Guidelines
Poetry Cliches to Avoid
Creating Immersive Poetry
Showing vs Telling Poetry (you are here)
Calculating a Word Count
Proofreading Your Submission

Poetry Submission Form