It’s okay to write poetry.

I have a confession to make.

I used to think that poetry

Was pointless,

And rather stupid.

People sneer at poets—

I used to sneer, too.

Students roll their eyes at iambic pentameter

And the structured sonnet.

Moneymakers,

Businesspeople,

And laborers,

All echo the stinging words:

“Poetry is useless.”

In more modern times, readers

Have mocked

Such styles as free verse as

‘Abstract’

Or ‘just too weird.’

You might think this way.

Or, if you’re like me,

You thought this way at first.

But then you began to dabble in your own work

And soon found that it strangely altered

Your viewpoints.

At first you were just curious.

Then you began to quietly appreciate it.

Then you fell in love.

But because of the way you used to think

You kept quiet.

But now I am telling you:

It’s okay to write poetry.

April is National Poetry Month,

The perfect time to rekindle an appreciation

For the art of words—

An appreciation that has been

Trampled on.

Words have never been the world’s biggest love,

But they were certainly its first.

The Bible records the first words ever spoken,

Illustrates the glory of Creation

Through all sorts of literary genres,

And especially

Poetry.

If God uses poetry to communicate truth

Why are we so afraid of it?

Poems strike the heart.

They entrap readers’ pathos

By intertwining literature

With every aspect of human life.

Our ability to master it,

To absorb it,

To allow it to flood our senses and overtake us completely

Is something we should embrace.

Only a human can write a poem.

Only a human can read one.

Only humanity can enjoy the gift of words.

Open the nearest notebook,

Pick up the nearest pen

Put down the first line which comes to mind.

Then write another

And another.

Read it out loud.

This is your poem.

It’s okay to write poetry.

After all,

Sometimes,

The written word

Is the only way to speak

About what was,

Until now,

Unspoken.

I began writing this article in prose. When I came back to edit, I realized everything about it was off. (And it took me longer than I care to admit to realize what it was).

Rewriting this in poetry form helped me remember what it was like to realize it really is okay to write poetry. Instead of shunning the idea of baring raw/core emotions, I decided to go all-out. Being vulnerable is a huge part of being a good writer. Few styles allow such a level of vulnerability as poetry.

Since April is National Poetry month, please feel free to join the thousands of writers, experienced and new, who savor the particular creativity only poets can enjoy.