Everyone has a favorite artist, most a favorite painter, and most a favorite author, but few people I know have a favorite poet. Poetry is an art form that I believe has slowly become forgotten. When poetry is introduced in English class, the students moan and complain. When asked about poets such as Ezra Pound and Allen Ginsberg, they have puzzled expression on their faces. When asked to write a poem, they declare that they are not gay and refuse to write one.
Poetry is an art form that, though looked down upon by the majority of the viewers, has great importance to the world. Poetry is a way of expressing one’s thoughts and feelings through words. One needs no beat, no experience, no template, and no competition. All one has to do is sit down with a pencil and a piece of paper and write.
In music, songwriters must follow a beat to make their song enjoyable. In writing, the author must follow certain rules, including grammar, voice, form, and so on. Poetry follows no such beat and no such rules. In school, we are taught that poems must have both rhyme and form. Each line should be the same length and should end in a word that rhymes with the word above or below it. Walt Whitman showed us that this does not have to be done, however. Whitman himself, in speaking of the “rules” of poetry, stated, “Resist much, obey little.” He truly believed that poetry was from the heart and needed to not follow guidelines. Poetry is about taking words and writing them down to express how one feels.
Poets like Shakespeare, Whitman, and Ginsberg changed the world. Shakespeare gave us words, Whitman allowed us to stray from the norm, and Ginsberg allowed us to rebel against all that is around us. Poetry is a way of expressing one’s own feelings, but it can also change those who read it. The beauty and truth in each and every word opens the eyes of the reader and allows the mind to reach full potential. Poetry is an art form that should not only return to society, but also climb the cultural ladder. In a world full of fake smiles, emotionless text messages, and lies, people need to see that there is a way to express what is inside of them.
