Pin enters poetry as a slender emblem of the upright mark and the object to be approached or toppled. In verse it symbolizes the standing target. Poets use the pin to explore themes of the centered flag, the avoided contact, and the cultural object that has served as the focus of the putt and the bowling throw in the poetry of aim.

The pin, whether the flagstick on the green or the standing target of the bowling alley, concentrates the drama of aim into a slender and vulnerable upright. Poets may exploit either sense or let the two briefly coincide. Teachers should alert students to the context that disambiguates the term. Related objects include the flag and the general language of the target. The image rewards attention to the difference between the pin as guide and the pin as object to be struck.