1. It’s less of a commitment than a book.
This point definitely has to sound appealing to some of you. I am a big lover of reading books, especially ones by certain authors, the ones you have to read within your lifetime type of authors. Of course, I have a whole list that has manifested itself into other lists based on mood, genre, sequels, location, era, etc. but this is a topic for another day. This being said, poetry is one way for me to read without the pressure of sticking to a single book, especially without having the allotted time commitment for one. Poetry is flexible.
2. It provides freedom of thought.
With most types of literary pieces, there is always a margin for the reader’s interpretation. Sometimes poetry is so open to interpretation that it can be challenging. Also, forcing meaning is a challenge. In high school, assigning meaning to everything was pounded into most students heads in advanced placement English classes. Reading poetry has helped me to teach myself to deconstruct this school of thought in order to appreciate what the poet might be saying right to readers’ faces.
3. It’s expressive.
While in prose there is strict grammatical structure, poetry does not adhere to the same rules. It can even form a shape — a type of poetry known as concrete poetry! Instead, it follows whatever form the poet chooses and utilizes devices like meter for the number of syllables and emphases on those syllables. Simply put, poetry is fun and creative, and when you find one poet you really enjoy, it is easy to find other poets who are similar.
4. It’s gratifying and comforting.
One of the reasons that poets like Rupi Kaur have been able to resonate so well with young people is her ability to be gratifying and comforting while still maintaining expressiveness. Her poems are raw and show a certain awareness of human vulnerability and the complexity of femininity. Personally, my favorite poet is Frank O’Hara because reading each of his poems is like being put in a film with Grace Kelly. How he describes the subjects of his poems is so enchanting that my mind often wanders down the 1950s New York city streets about which he writes.
5. Where to begin…
If I have done an adequate job of convincing you, here is a great list of poets to get started with:
❏ Courtney Peppernell
❏ Leigh Stein
❏ Fariha Róisín
❏ Amanda Lovelace
❏ Nayyirah Waheed
❏ Yrsa Daley-Ward
❏ Warsan Shire
❏ Vivek Shraya
❏ R.H. Sin