Because poetry—and, for that matter, all literature – is concerned with expanding the perception of readers, poets devote a good deal of attention to appealing to the senses. In “Cloud Painter,” for example, Flanders uses small details, such as the mother’s wash on the line and the smudged schoolbook, to enable readers to visualize a particular scene in John Constable’s early work. Clouds are described so readers can easily picture them— “mares” tails, / sheep in the meadow thunderheads.” “Cloud painter” is not just about the work of John Constable; it is also about the poet’s ability to call up images in the minds of readers. To achieve her end, the poet uses imagery, language that evokes a physical sensation produced by one of the five senses – sight, hearing, taste, touch, or smell. Although the effect can be quite complex, the way images work is simple. When you read the word red, your memory of the various red things that you have seen or heard about determines your visualization of the image. In addition, the word red may have emotional associations, or connotations, that define your response. A red sunset, for example, can have a positive connotation or a negative one depending on whether it is associated with a pleasurable experience or with air pollution. By choosing an image carefully, poets can not only help to create pictures in a reader’s mind, but also suggest a great number of imaginative associations These associations help poets to establish the atmosphere or mood of the poem. The falling snow in “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”, for example, creates a quiet, almost mystical mood.