Why are Poems so Powerful?
Life is an everyday display of different experiences and emotions. Life expresses itself through nature—in the sun rising every morning, the birds chirping, the tree swaying in response to a gentle breeze. We are lucky enough as humans to be able to perceive as we do and observe in a way that is innocent and inoffensive. For the best of us, we are able to translate the things we see into writing, and nothing quite encapsulates the true beauty of the world around us than the style of poetry.
Powerful is a vocal art
Poetry is, as a form of art, that which is accomplished through meticulous placement of words constituting an enchanting combination that is both soothing and stimulating to all those who read it. It may be a skill that is acquired and honed or it may even be just a pastime to alleviate the daily stressors of life.
Poetry is a powerful unique language
Poetry is a unique language that is best used as a means of understanding the world we live in, and in turn, makes us appreciate it more. It is never as straightforward as prose or as show-stopping as the ballet, however, it is just as awe-inspiring. There is depth in its craftmanship to which the poet can be likened to a sculptor that cautiously choices his words and furnishes them into a form that produces music to the ears—a sort of melodic ringing in the mind as you read the poem word-for-word. All the more every comma, every period, every space between stanzas, somewhat signals a breath that begs to be taken, as if the poet is ordering you to take a well-deserved step back from your life and be consumed by a veil of mystery in the subtext.
Poetry is a powerful personal endeavor
Poetry is, above all, a personal endeavor. It is a way of us to understand this world and pass it on to the next person who is just as clueless about it. It is significant to note that although the strength of poetry is that it is vague and mysterious but at the same time very readily apparent and obvious in its approach to the reader. Somehow, by the very first stanza, you already have gathered a sense of what the poem is about and even without the pleasure of context which comes only after reading the whole piece.
The power of poetry lies in the way it serves the purpose of interconnecting every human being to every other human being in the universe. It is personal in its nature so the poet’s subject is almost always his or her past experiences, emotions, ideas, or wisdom. That which he also desires to share with the rest of the world. It has a way of sneaking up on you in the least way you expect.
The Power of Poetry Can Break Space and Time
The power of poetry is that it breaks the barrier between space and time. There is a serendipitously established connection with a poet from the past to a reader from the future. It is this very manner of communicating that makes it so special and distinct from other forms of writing. It brings you the visual of a midnight in Paris in the 1920s that can be appealing to not only a Parisian but even to someone who was born and raised in North Dakota. It bridges every gap imaginable.
The world, in itself, is filled with disparity of all sorts. It is a very disconcerting fact that we, humans, have become too preoccupied with glorifying differences in our skin color, political views, romantic preference, or food culture and yet still living with the same truth that we all belong to the same species. Poetry has a way of revealing that with which we are most vulnerable and in its sweeping fame, smacks us in the face that we are all just trying to weather this life.
Poetry offers the powerful opportunity to relate to others
We relate to each other in our experiences and in our emotions. We are fundamentally emotional beings that are easily affected by outside factors. This can be said with enough certainty to prove a point that poetry is the bridge that connects us. Therein lies the power. It is deeply rooted in something so fundamental as experience coupled with emotion. The effects are almost immediate. Poetry offers us an opportunity to relate with one another—if only we let it. It builds a strong sense of empathy among all those who feel the same things or have experienced the same things.
The grief of losing a child can only be truly understood by his mother—and who better to empathize with her than someone who is likewise a mother. That fear of jumping off a bridge, albeit harnessed, is something a skydiving instructor knows very well. The pure rage that comes with losing a bet on a football game to a co-worker. The joy of finding a bill in your newly-laundered jean pockets. The bliss of falling in love for the first time which can only be truly understood by a lover—as is with a broken heart. These emotions—grief, fear, anger, joy, bliss—these are all felt by us as a collective across the board. Anyone who says otherwise is just a little late to the party.
If language is the tool, then poetry is the message. There are too many beautiful and wonderful things in the world that have yet to be shared with another person. Although life can be a lonely road to walk alone, poetry offers a genuine dialogue between two people who have a shared experience without actually exchanging words. For the poet, whose eyes see only beauty in both the positive and as well as the negative, he does it for himself. Armed with a great desire to use his skill to craft something magnificent, he does us all a favor by painting a picture in our minds that in a way makes us forget of our struggles yet at the same time endeavors to remind us of the good.
For the reader, poetry serves as an escape—a sort of respite from the struggles of what we think are important to us. It may be a class you are currently taking, a job you are working hard at, or maybe even just a traffic jam you are trying to tread ever so slowly. With poetry, you become tethered to a whole other world of meaning apart from your own. It provides you with an opportunity to take control of your life but loosening the grip a little. All you have to do is take it.
In our grief, our joy, our sorrow, our success… In our horizons, the mountains, the cobblestone streets, the city lights… In our endeavors, we are one and the same. There is no use in trying to widen the gap between each other because it only brews hatred and contempt which are never good things. We are already divided by oceans and time zones; do you think we need more?
The Power of Poetry Conclusion
In the many uncertainties this life brings, misery loves company. Allow yourself to be enveloped in beautiful things—eyes closed and arms wide open. The true power of words is only reinforced by the art and style of poetry. Know that you are never alone. Someone, somewhere and somehow, has already or is going through the same things as you and it is time we accept all the help we can get. Poetry is personal in a way that is impersonal, in the way that it is subtle yet majestic. The power of poetry is that it is who we are; it is us.