Why Does Poetry Matter?
By Anonymous, 16, Wisconsin
Our eyes see it. Our brain longs for it. For a connection.
Maybe a bedtime story. Maybe a story to pass the time on the train. Or on the bus, or in a car.
Or maybe it’s for school. For a grade.
Maybe it’s a reason to have a conversation. Maybe it’s an escape to read or to write. Maybe it fills the void of silence.
It’s artwork with or without all the colors.
It sings a song, without a beat.
Maybe it’s about expressing emotion: Anger, sadness, havoc. Loneliness, frustration, happiness.
Maybe our brain longs for reassurance, that we aren’t the only person that feels that way.
I wrote this piece in a high school writing class based upon all different types of poetry and it turned out to be one of my favorites. Poetry has been a way of expressing myself and my thoughts. I struggle with being open, but writing down my emotions has been a way for me to release some of them.
