I Need Poetry

A few weekends ago, I had the pleasure of hearing Ted Kooser, the 13th Poet Laureate of the United States, and Terrance Hayes read their poetry at a Grand Valley State University function. And in a time when reality T.V. stars and even YA authors grace the covers of magazines, it was nice to find a moment and place where poetry was valued. Not just that but also seen as valuable. 

There were Terrance Hayes groupies in t-shirts and a line afterward to have books signed by Ted Kooser. I can say that I didn't love every poem, in fact there were ones I didn't like, and ones I didn't understand. The point is there were ones I liked, ones I loved, and some that moved me to tears. 

Terrance Hayes 

Ted Kooser believes that poetry makes us better people, and has started a column that is syndicated in major newspapers and online publications. It's called American Life in Poetry. You can even sign up for a weekly poem.

Ted Kooser

But so what? What's the big deal with poetry?

I believe that poetry makes a good writer great. It can challenge you. You try telling a story with a plot arc in just a few lines in a way that makes people want to keep reading.

I am on my poetry soapbox and you are never getting me down. Because it has changed my life. Even as I write this, I can see myself on a poetry infomercial. But it really has. It has allowed me to process emotions that I thought were untouchable. And it has made me a much better writer.  

One of my favorite quotes is from Jim Harrison: "Poetry, just like painting, is something that you have to give your entire life to -- and that includes all of your life."

I am not asking you to give up everything for poetry but maybe give it a second look and see some value in it.

Find a poem you like, just one, and rewrite it. Use some of the words, none of the words, but really sit with it for a few minutes. Read it a couple times. Circle what you like about it. Write about why you like it. And then allow yourself to rewrite it.





Regina Gort