ABOUT ME
I DON'T LOVE IT...
I don't love how many of us were conditioned early on to fear poetry instead of feel it. Somewhere along the way, poetry seemed to became a test, something to decode, dissect, or dread. This fear of being wrong, of not understanding, of not being "smart enough" pushes people away from something that is meant to pull them in. But poetry is patient! It doesn't ever lock us out or expire. We can return to it at any time and search for something meaningful.
I don't love how seldom we see poetry present in our society. Our desire for instant pay-offs stifles poetry's strange magic. Some of the most powerful poems don’t yell; they whisper. Our world is currently wired for speed and spectacle and those whispers are easy to miss. When poetry does appear in the spotlight, it’s usually because it’s clever, clickable, or trendy—not when it is quietly doing its deeper work.
I don't love the phrase “I don’t get poetry,” especially when it's worn like a badge of honor. Often, it is said with a shrug, a slight chuckle, or a trace of pride—like poetry is some distant, fussy thing meant only for academics. It feels like there is a quiet dismissal underneath that phrase. We don’t say “I don’t get music” or “I don’t get movies." We trust those forms will meet us where we are. Somehow, poetry has been cast as something we are either born understanding or destined to avoid. You really don't need to "get" poetry to engage with it and very possibly be moved!
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