The Purpose of Poetry

“Who reads poetry anymore, right?”

I’m sure I’m not the only one to ever sigh dramatically that poetry is dying and people just don’t find it relevant…but I don’t think that’s true anymore. As I’ve started posting my own writing, I’ve found myself in the middle of a community of poets from a million backgrounds and styles who love it as much as I do!

So why is this “outmoded art form” so resilient? What does it give us to keep generation after generation of poets writing and people listening? It seems only fitting that the answer is alliterative:

The purpose of poetry is to process perspective.

Everyone sees beauty and feels emotion, but those are so common to everyday experience that we can forget what miracles they are. Poets remind us to marvel, cherish, and consider things differently. They frame the ordinary with a new perspective.

Poetry refuses to let a sunset become mundane. It makes small moments monuments to the human experience.  It reminds us that even pain can be redeemed for something greater. It takes our plodding, ordinary days and reminds us of their meaning. It builds us up and puts us in our place. It lifts our eyes to the divine. It slows us down to take in all the most important things in life. It gives us space to feel, think, and reset our perspective.

As poets write, we often find it helps us process our own experiences and emotions. Putting words to joy or sorrow can help make sense of things. And when someone reads a really good poem, the poet and the reader both feel seen—it’s a beautiful feat of empathy.

Poetry is also a powerful persuasive tool. Poems about significant issues can come out of the gate with pathos in one hand and logic in the other to make you stop and consider your point of view.

We need poetry just like we need music, visual art, and theater. It makes us think. it makes our lives richer, and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.