The Importance of Poetry

A friend of mine once said that poetry is the most pure form of truth.


I agree with him, in a way. As someone who reads and writes poetry on a daily basis, I can appreciate the importance of poetry. But some of you (even you who are avid readers) may have an aversion to reading or analyzing poetry.


Why is this? I suspect you may not enjoy poetry because you read for plot instead of style. I often fall prey to this too, that reading is for enjoyment and we shouldn't expect any deeper meanings to affect us. But what really is the point of reading?


Since I began critically reading stories as an English major, I have found that the plot of the story shouldn't be the only interesting part. As readers, we should be looking for something of deeper meaning. Just imagine how many new doors we could open if we decided to judge a book by something other than plot!


And that's where poetry comes in.


Imagine coming back to a small block of text, like a haiku. Read one of my favorites by Jack Kerouac:


Missing a kick
At the icebox door
It closed anyway.


It is pretty easy to imaging the scene of Kerouac kicking his icebox door. You may move on from it as if nothing had happened. But if you read it and continue to ask yourself questions to increase the details of the scene, what could the poem become?


What was in the icebox? Was it alcohol? Nothing?
Why was he kicking the icebox in the first place? What happened before and after the act of kicking?
How could the door have closed on his own?


This poem is a story. Imagine reading this poem one year and then again the next year. What would have changed in your perspective about the poem? How has your reading been enhanced by a poem?


If you are a reader, I strongly encourage you to experiment with different types of poetry. I really do believe there's a poem for everyone, but it takes a bit of searching. Good luck discovering new poetry. Keep asking questions.


Happy reading!