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 became a test, something to decode, dissect, or even dread. A fear of being wrong, of not understanding, of not being "smart enough" pushes people away from something that is meant to pull us in.
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 at us; they whisper. Our world is wired for speed and spectacle and these whispers are easy to overlook.
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 dismissive chuckle, or a trace of pride, like poetry is some distant, fussy thing meant only for academics. We don’t say “I don’t get music” or “I don’t get movies." We trust that these forms will meet us where we are. "Getting poetry" is 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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