Melville's Poety

When reading Melville's poetry, the first thing that I notices is that is his style is very different than poetry I am use to reading. He does not seem very poetic in the since of how he puts words and phases together. It's hard to see a clear rhythm or flow from word to word and line to line, making it difficult for the reader to say aloud. Also, with poetry that I have read, even if the author's original intent for writing the poem is not clear, the reader can take it at surface value and change it to mean what they want it to be. In Melville's poems, what his original intent is what the reader needs to take away from it. There are clear references from The Portent to The Victor of Antietam that the reader must have some type of historical knowledge in order to understand the references he uses throughout the poems. His works are not abstract and there is no room for interpretation. His book of poetry, Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War, it seems that he is writing his poetry for a specific audience. This books was written for those who have experienced war and a way for him to reflect on the events and their outcome. Also, it allows others not to forget what has happened those four years.