Final answer:
To identify a poem as contemporary without the publication date, one would assess the use of modern language, departure from traditional structures like rhythm, rhyme, and meter, current themes, shifts in speaker and addressed subject, and reader-text interaction that is prevalent in contemporary poetry.
Step-by-step explanation:
Whether a poem would be identified as contemporary depends on various features such as language, form, themes, and subject matter. To determine if the poem in question can be interpreted as contemporary, one would look for elements such as modern language that lacks the archaic terms typically found in older poetry. The absence of fixed rhythm, rhyme, and meter, which are often associated with traditional poetry, might also hint at a contemporary work. Contemporary poems often break from these conventions to offer free verse and prose poetry, allowing for more flexibility in expression. Today's themes might be reflective of current social, political, and personal experiences relevant to a 21st-century audience, including technology, globalization, and identity. Additionally, a contemporary poem might bear resemblance to a modernist text in its approach to fragmentation, ambiguity, and exploring the subconscious, which pushes boundaries beyond the traditional narrative and structure.
Moreover, the way the speaking voice and the addressed subject change throughout the poem's stanzas could indicate a style more prevalent in contemporary poetry, which often experiments with perspective and narrative. The incorporation of everyday language and situations, often found in contemporary poetry, suggests a divergence from the grandiose or formal tone of older poems. Finally, the interaction between the reader and the text, where the reader becomes an active participant in the creation of meaning, is a hallmark of contemporary poetry, emphasizing the personal experience and interpretation.