Once I finish my latest novel and set it aside to rest a little, I plan to publish a book of my poems. Already, I'm faced with all the different ways you can group the works in such a collection: By form-- Sonnet, sestina, blank verse, etc. By theme-- Love, nature, social issues, and so on By tenor and mood-- Serious, humorous;optimistic, despairing . . . By spiritual level-- Sacred vs. secular By chronology-- In the order written By milieu-- the environment or place in which the poems were written By . . . what else? Please, what are the advantages and disadvantages of these and other systems? What has worked for you, if you've published your poems? What didn't serve you well at all? What ordering do you find most satisfying in other poets' compilations? I'm sure it'll come clear eventually, but right now I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed.
I haven’t tried any of these yet, but I’ve heard of arranging them from best to worst (with a few really good ones sprinkled throughout to keep reader interest), or arranging them so that every poem has something in common with the one before it like cards in Crazy Eights.
I think I'd go by theme first. Within that, you're free to arrange things as it seems apparent to you. In "Summers with Monica," Roger McGough arranged the love poems to reflect the progress of a love affair from initial infatuation to all the things that go with an extended relationship... boredom, infidelity, and finally acceptance. The "chronology" seemed to work very well for that format, although the poems themselves might have been written in any order. But I'm intrigued by the "milieu" aspect, as well. If the first part was the home town you grew up in, the second the year you spent in Paris, the third the town you lived in when you came back, and the fourth the city you're living in now, then the order would reflect how he changes of those environments altered your own personality.
Thinking about it, organizing a book of poetry is a lot like a musician deciding what songs to play at a concert and in what order, or the same on a record album. I've pulled a few of the collections I have off the shelf, and it seems the editors didn't worry about theme or chronology so much as pacing and flow. It appears to be an art in itself.
I put my favorite ones at the beginning and end, and kind of just "you can go here, buddy" to the rest of them. I did mix the shorter ones so they were like a break for the reader, but very few of them were longer than a page, so it was kind of a "hope this works" in some places. I wish you well on your own ordering of poems. It is, as you said, almost an art within itself.
When I'm making a mix album for my computer I'll put the best songs at beginning and end, and make sure to intersperse a few of the other best throughout as highlights. But I also listen through the transitions. The way the end of one song blends into the beginning of the next. Some go together well in a certain order, some just really don't. Not sure how well that would work with poetry though, music has a much stronger rhythmic/melodic thing going on. But also generally one song stands out as needing to be at the beginning, and one at the end—at least sometimes. You want a closer at the end, a palette cleanser.
It does make sense to intend for it to be read in order, though. I mean, organize it in that way since books are read front to back. I think the answer is completely dependent on the poems.
