It can be hard to decide when to stop editing and changing a piece of writing and trust that it’s ready for readers to see! In How Do I Know When A Poem Is Finished, writer Naomi Shihab Nye imagines a poem is like a room and wonders when you should stop decorating the room and leave it alone.

Palestinian-American poet Naomi Shihab Nye has been publishing poems for children and adults for over forty years. She writes and teaches in San Antonio, Texas.

Answer the question in the poem’s title. How do YOU know when a poem (or another piece of writing) is finished? When do you stop editing and share it with readers?