Lost Alphabet

In Olstein's, Lost Alphabet, she depicts prose poetry in a strong way that makes the reader become one with the surroundings she is emphasizing.  Within my own writing, specifically poetry writing, I find that conveying those thoughts to my audience is what I struggle to do.  For an English teacher I am probably far more literal with my interpretation of poetry than I should be, and with Olstein's writing the poetry flows well and can be taken literally somewhat, but it's individual interpretation is open for each reader.  A story is being told and the devices she uses to get her point across about nature and what she observes there are clearly seen. 
For example, in [theory of clouds] Olstein states, "I am training myself to identify species solely by the sound of their wings" (84).  That powerful use of sound imagery is lacking in my own writing and by using the methods of Olstein I can learn to produce more powerful writing.  I often worry too much about making sure the poetry I write makes perfect sense and it takes away of it's inherent aesthetic value.  Getting ideas on the paper in the form of word vomit may be a better way to start than just agonizing over each minute detail.  Taking Mr. Keating's advice from Dead Poets Society could serve me well just like Olstein.  In the movie he speaks to his reluctant students about how poetry should, "Suck the marrow out of life" because of it's powerful nature.  My focus needs to be more on baring my soul in the text rather than careful word choice to get meaning across.