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The Definition of Poetry

IMG_1818Poetry is not my genre of choice. Not because I don’t appreciate it, but because I’m more comfortable writing short essays and fiction.

Ever since National Poetry Month, though, the folks in the creative writing class at Harwood Place have challenged me to read more, write more, and discuss more poems. They continue to produce wonderful pieces, so I in turn bring them examples of works by published authors, essays on the aspects of poetry, and prompts to feed the muse.

Last Saturday though, one of the writers asked me point blank, “What’s the definition of poetry?” and I thought, Oooh…this might be a good time to guide them back to the personal essay. I mean, how much do I really know about the form and function of a good poem?

Well, I do know this: teaching is learning. So, I answered their question to the best of my ability with words like succinct, imagery, and cadence. Then, I went home in search for more. I found this article on the meaning of poetry that includes a quote, which, for me, answers the question well:

Poetry is language at its most distilled and most powerful.
~ Rita Dove

And, I left them with a poem that speaks to this definition somewhat. Go read “One Good Thing,” (posted on The Writer’s Almanac on September 15th)  by Edwin Romond. It’s a beautiful look into the light and life a father discovers during a simple moment with his son. My favorite line from the poem is the prompt for next month’s meeting:

this is one good thing.

I want to say more. But, I really want you to go read that poem and reflect on your own “one good thing.” After all, that’s part of the gift in poetry: reflection.

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Poetry: In the thick of it.

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2014 Design: Chipp Kidd

Right now, we are in the thick of National Poetry Month. While I’m not much of a poet, I do love a good poem. And, I’ve come across some great reads in the last week that got me all fired up.

In Your Neighborhood.

Look around. There’s probably a poet near you doing an amazing project for National Poetry Month. Lisa Rivero has been on my radar; she writes how poetry “forces us to pay attention.”

Taking entries from her great-aunt Hattie’s diaries, she has been turning every-day details from life on the Great Plains in the 40’s and 50’s into beautiful poems and pairing them with images of the actual pages. I absolutely love this project.

Read two of my favorites:

In Your Inbox.

If you subscribe to The Writer’s Almanac, you can experience National Poetry Month every single day. I’d been on their list for a while then somehow stopped getting emails. I’m glad I signed up again, because this poem from April 13th did exactly what Lisa talks about: made me slow down and focus on the details.

Prairie Spring, by Willa Cather

Evening and the flat land,
Rich and sombre and always silent;
The miles of fresh-plowed soil,
Heavy and black, full of strength and harshness;
The growing wheat, the growing weeds,
The toiling horses, the tired men;
. . . .

Read it from beginning to end here. 

Your turn: favorite poem, this month or ever.