Poetry is a catharsis modern man bad needs in his life. The good news is poetry is for free and in constant supply. If only man will pause for a bit and learn to truly unwind.
In the past, poetry was an effective means of communication. Employed by lovers to express themselves or used by poets and philosophers to talk about ideas and sentiments, poetry was considered a daily essential tool for communication and self-expression. Entertainment too involved poetry as dramas of Shakespeare can testify. It is, therefore, safe to conclude that life in the past involved poetry. It was not an add-on but rather an important part of people’s day-to-day life.
Far from the poetry of decades passed, modern-day approach to poetry is similar to modern man’s approach to life¬¬—free, unrestrained by rhyme or reason, fast.
The world has changed drastically. Gone are the “stop and smell the roses” activities. Life is hurried, a constant rush from one activity to the next. Twenty-four hours seem too short to fit all of modern man’s to-do list. Priorities spill over to the next, leaving man breathless, unfocused.
Ironically, the need for poetry has never been more urgent, more necessary than it is now.
Man needs to take life one day, one moment at a time unless he wants to continuously miss the events and the moments in life that truly matter. Take our mornings for example: we wake up at the constant urging of the alarm clock, rush through our morning ritual, and go out the door, unable to appreciate the smell of coffee brewing, the small talks of our children or the energy of our spouse also bustling with his/her own morning rush. Out the door, the beautiful day does not inspire us to stop and smell the roses. Instead, we look at our watch and go on overdrive, thinking about the office presentation or the sales about to be closed. I could go on and on, but there is no need really to exaggerate such facts of life we are living on a daily basis.
Why we need poetry is very simple. We need it to experience life as it happens. To allow the beauty around us to seep into our pores and into our lives so we become better, happier people, not people without purpose, without pause.
We need poetry so we can better express ourselves to others. The more we listen to our innermost voice, the more clearly we communicate to others, the more deeply we think. We do not have to be a Shakespeare or an Emerson to allow poetry to thrive in our lives. We do not need to be E. E. Cummings or Louisa May Alcott. There are many ways to appreciate poetry. Reading one is a good start. Keeping a journal is another.
Most importantly, poetry is not restricted within the pages of books. Poetry is everywhere. The secret to appreciating it is really simple—pause. Look around you and let the poetry so beautifully made and effortlessly written affect you to be a positive energy in the world. Let it inspire you and you, in turn, will become a form of poetry yourself.
