Why Do People Need Poetry?

Don’t have any plans this summer? Then why not reading or writing some poetry! I can hear some of you groaning through the page, because it's poetry, right? When you think of poetry (lets just say you do), British accents and Shakespeare probably pop into your head. We write, analyze and read poetry in the classroom, but once we walk out, poetry is not talked about nearly as much as it should be. So, why should we read poems in the first place? To be honest, poems do not take a long time to read. Let’s take the poetry journal, The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur as an example. Each poem is approximately 4 to 5 sentences long and yet many of us don’t read poetry at all unless it is for school. With exams coming up we are all busy studying away, but taking a minute of rest just to read a poem may show you how wonderful the world of literature really is. I would say I’ve been influenced by it this past year as I've been reading and choosing poems for my club, the poetry society. From what I’ve learned so far, if i were to define what poetry is, I would describe it as an art form that helps you connect with other times and places around the world as well as the poet themselves. What distinguishes us from animals is our way of communication in the world. Poetry is a form of language and expression that captures the very essence of our humanity. Poems can be about very raw, honest feelings and emotions expressed the poet. It takes courage to write, as one may feel too vulnerable or embarrassed to express themselves. . In my opinion, there is no such thing as “bad” poetry, since all poems are up for interpretation. In the world of poetry, there is so much freedom and many ways of displaying it. It influences your everyday life without you even noticing. You might be thinking, I barely read poetry so in how in the world am I influenced by it? The truth is poetry is everywhere around us. For instance, music. Everyone listens to songs, whether on the radio or Spotify - it is impossible to ignore in today’s society. We examine songs for their deep, inner meanings because  we are desperate for signs in everything. In films, books, paintings, and songs I'm always looking for symbolism or something meaningful. At Havergal, we are taught to dig deeper, to search for hidden, abstract ideas. Perhaps we use the same mindset without realizing it when we listen to a song and examine other works of art. Not only can we see the relationship between art and the audience, but we can also see the connection between one form of art to another, like poetry to music, In a nutshell, a song is a melodic disguise of poetry. Like poems, artists write lyrics based off of their feelings, or they discuss what is important them. Whatever the artist addresses, it is their personal choice what their lyrics symbolize. If you going to take one thing away from this article, let it be that you shouldn’t take poetry for granted. There is no shame in reading or writing poetry. In fact, take pride in it. One of the greatest aspects of poetry is that once you get in the habit of reading, it is difficult to forget and overlook how engaging meaningful poems can be. Poems comfort me, as they seem to understands how I feel. They can make me angry, laugh, and even cry. The power of words show their significance through this form of literary work. This summer, try visiting the library or bookstore to discover the world of poetry. We have the ability and opportunity to read as well write in our community so please take some time connect with the beautiful art form that is poetry.