For this article, I wanted to write about the New York City’s 6th Annual Poetry Festival. Instead, I want to talk about poetry. Poetry has been around for centuries. The first poem is thought to have been written in the 2nd BC in Akkadian by a Sumerian priestess named Enheduanna. Poetry is the only form of writing that does not involve structure but pure raw emotions. Taking many forms from songs to spoken word.

Shakespeare’s play sounded more like melodic poetry rather than words uttered by the common man. The cries of Caesar sounded more like a sonnet than the hurt of a man. Iago’s soliloquies sounded more like a poem of intent than the raving of a mad man.

As a creative writing major I get asked a lot about my future aspirations. Then when people find out I am not only a writer but a poet they are baffled.

“What are you going to do with that? There is no money in poetry.”

How could there be no money in poetry. Why is poetry the only form of writing that is seen as unworthy or not scholarly. There are tons of classes about writing mostly on critical writing, stories, novels and few- like one or two- on poetry.

More classes should be offered for poetry. Not learning how to format one “correctly” but to express oneself in an unstructured manner. This could help out kids, teens and adults to express themselves.

Writing has always been a form of expression for me. Poetry has been the best option to express my hurt, confusion and raging teenage questions on life. I was able to get out emotions in a safe form rather than in a way that could have been destructive. I was always able to come back and read my feelings. Years later, I would read them understand and remember that point in my life. I would mostly see the progress I made and the changes in my life. I could, also, connect to others with words.

Since I was young I felt connected to poetry. I used to write poems about nature and little ones for my parents with my terrible handwriting. My parents saved them all-like parents do with their children’s terrible art. Unlike other kids I kept writing poems-and tried to make them not to suck. In high school that is what set me apart. I was the artistic girl who carried around a journal with poetry. I would write poems in class because I was always done with my work early. I applied for Girls Write Now and got in with my poetry. This lead me to meet my wonderful and inspiring mentor, Meg Cassidy. I got to see future career paths. I,also, applied to Poet Linc because of Girls Write Now and met my best friend. If it was not for poetry none of this would have been possible.

How can poetry not be important if it changed my whole life.