“Poetry makes nothing happen: it survives

In the valley of its own making, where it was not meant to be,

In the place of its own making, where it has no purpose.”

The words of W.H. Auden come to mind when I think of poetry in the modern age. An age where mankind has developed to the point where our cars drive themselves and we carry portable supercomputers-–capable of accessing a near infinite pool of information in milliseconds—with us every second of the day, the art of poetry may seem obsolete.

For the men and women of the past, the writing of poets: Shakespeare, Donne, Wordsworth, and Dickinson were like scripture, the water of baptism that gave the poor Englishman a revived sense of purpose and enlightenment.

How can it be that such beautiful and elegant art can be reduced to a mere teaching tool used in high school English classrooms as disinterested teenagers are put to sleep by long discussions on the importance of similes and metaphors.

I, for one, believe that poetry finds itself playing a much larger role in our lives than we could ever imagine. The seemingly outdated and old-fashioned style of literature is actually more powerful and prevalent now than ever before.

Poetry In the Past

“Poetry is not the thing said but the way of saying it.”

Once again Auden makes his impressive longevity known in this quote from “The Poet and The City” which ironically also debates the importance of poetry and its effect on our world. Truer words have never been spoken. From the times of Shakespeare, poetry had been exclusive only for those who truly understood language and literature. Not for the common man, nor the peasant, nor the tireless laborer. Poetry was an art limited by literacy in a time when a vast majority of people lacked the basic ability to read.

Yet even as inaccessible as it was, poetry paved the way for the thinkers and creatives to enlighten the world with brave new ideas.

The rhythm of iambic pentameter—which tied up the tongues and minds of readers—nor the use of complex, and even confusing conceits could not prevent the power of poetry from making its impact on the world. 

The reason poetry was so important and relevant in the past is because similar to its style and nature, it challenged the status quo on what our society had defined as art and critical thought. It allowed us to embrace the natural world and open our minds up to revolutionary ideas.

But how does the importance of poetry in the past relate to our experience in the present?

Poetry In the Present

The poetry of the past was an accumulation of rhyme schemes, stanzas, structure, and traditional patterns which made it the beautiful spectacle that we used to see it to be. However, this clearly defined style is what made it exclusive, and caused poetry to fail to empower the people who it should have been seeking to serve since the start.

The way I see it, the ones who stood to gain the most from exposure to such radical and imaginative new ideas were the only ones who were unable to access poetry.

In the present, this has completely changed. WIth the introduction of free verse, the limitations on poetry have been lifted. While we as modern poets have not abandoned all traditions and standard poetic conventions, we have broken away from the standard and have claimed poetry as a means for ourselves to address the complex and radical ideas in our world today.

That only adds to the relevance of poetry in our modern world. Poetry is now an equal field, where people from all backgrounds can share, contest, support, and explore the thoughts and ideas of their peers regardless of differences. 

From modern poet and essayist Adrienne Rich,

“Poetry is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity of our existence”.

Poetry is certainly one of the most clear indications of culture, and serves to aid in defining who we as a people are, what we experience, and what we want. 

In modern times, poetry is not a less valid form of expression, but rather provides greater freedom to express the desires and circumstances of our communities in a time where our modes of communication and expression have been altered drastically.

Poetry In the Future

Poetry is a weapon. The sharpened blade of vowels and consonants which in the hands of a great writer can change the tides of war and rewrite history line by line. It is the duty of the people of today to—like the writers of the past who wrote to people who could hardly read the words on the paper—use it in order to create change and opportunity.

A quote by Langston Hughes, a man who may well have written the Harlem Renaissance into existence with his poetry, laced with power to move mountains:

“Poetry is a political act

because it involves a vision of the world

that is different from the one in which we live.”

— Langston Hughes, The Panther and the Lash: Poems of Our Time (1967)

While poetry itself has evolved and grown over the years, and has seen its fair share of shifts throughout the eras: the Metaphysicals, the Romantics, the Modernists, and now the Postmodernists, it is an art that could not possibly be lost to time. 

Because like time itself poetry flows and adjusts to the shape of the world, and will forever serve as a tool for the generations to dictate their vision for the future and grasp it for themselves.