Poetry, a Lost Art

Picture this; you are sitting at a table, signing boos. People ask about the book's content. As you explains its Christian poetry, the people simply say "if it wasn't poetry, then I would buy it." This is the common reaction when it comes to buying poetry. Poetry has lost its appeal over the years. Some people try to avoid poetry as if it were the plague. College students cower in fear, and run in the other direction screaming, well maybe not, but you get the idea. When it comes to selling books, collections of poetry, marketing and selling them, it's the hardest thing to do. Even though poetry sends people running, poets are still revered because poetry is viewed as difficult to write.

"Back in the day" poets didn't just write about feelings and nature. Some, like William Butler Yeats, wrote about politics. Yeats used his poetry as an attempt to gain a unified Ireland. Langston Hughes used his talents to express the struggles of African Americans. Others wrote to immortalize someone close to them or someone well known like a queen. Alfred Lord Tennyson's "Break, Break, Break" expresses his distaste in society's reaction to death. Pomes of long ago express strong, deep emotions. It was an honor, and still is, to read them.

Today college students, as well as outside scholars, spend hours trying to discover the deep meanings of these poems. Some even try to replicate the intensity and meaning of the originals. Lines from poetry have been used in pop culture. The cartoon Family Guy used Dylan Thomas's line "Do not go gentle into that great night" in one episode. In the film Dangerous Minds, Thomas' poetry was compared to the music of Bob Dylan. We may not realize it, but poetry and other forms of literature are all around us.

Writing a good poem takes time and effort. So much needs to go into a poem: rhythm, meter, tone, and sometimes rhyme. Finding inspiration for a poem may take years and then the poet has to write something unique. Finding a publisher who will publish poetry is like finding a needle in a haystack. It took this poet over three years to find a publisher willing to publish poetry.