Why Poetry Is Important

Poetry is a beautiful art form, and the more I read it, the more I enjoy it. It has grown in popularity with young adults, which is partially attributed to the influx of “Instapoetry,” or Instagram poetry. Social media provides a platform that works really naturally with certain kinds of poems, and it’s one of the more worthwhile things I can imagine social media being used for. I want to take a look at what poetry is, and why it is still making its way into our everyday lives.

Poetry, like a lot of art, is about experience. I relate a lot of things about poetry reading to music listening. Poetry is like music, in that it transports you to a place of deeper awareness. And in that peaceful place, the melody, rhythm, images, and words combine to form a compelling story. And the story is not just a narrative, but an experience that allows for a thorough emotional experience.

Poetry is also similar to music, in that the words aren’t to be taken as they mean, but rather as they feel. More like the lyrics in music or dialogue in film, the words in poetry are chosen for their connotation, their sound, and how they will affect the rhythm, as well as fit into the structure of the page, amongst many other reasons. Dave Mustaine said it best in “Holy Wars… The Punishment Due”: “Because I don’t say it, don’t mean I ain’t thinkin’ it.”

Reading poetry as it is meant to be read is a transformative experience. When one takes the time to read a poem out loud, they hear the music. The rhythm and sound of the words create something beyond the ink on the page. Getting fully immersed in the poem is an experience that nourishes the soul, like seeing a great movie, or listening to a perfect album. Taking the time to read and truly understand a poem can be easier said than done, though. A lot of poetry from older times or other places is hard to understand at first. Even modern poetry can hide its meaning behind abstract imagery or some new vocabulary. It takes a dictionary and patience to read and reread, in order to grasp an understanding of each poem.

These good reading practices will not only enhance the effect of the poem on its reader, but will exercise your mind and sharpen your communication skills. You’ll find yourself with a larger vocabulary, better able to understand your own emotions and better able to express your thoughts clearly.

I want to present a quote from Perrine’s Sound and Sense, which clearly states thevalue that poetry carries to culture:

“Poetry in all ages has been regarded as

important…not simply as one of several alternative forms of amusement… Rather, it has been regarded as something central to existence, something having unique value to the fully realized life, something that we are better off for having and without which we are spiritually impoverished.”

My own time reading poetry has shown me that the positive impact poetry has on its reader goes beyond amusement. It has proven to be good medicine for me, and I believe it will be for anyone who takes the time to read it.