You probably fit into one of three categories whenever you hear the word “poetry”: groan in frustration, shrug and move on, or your eyes light up and you adore it. Surprisingly, I usually only see the first one, occasionally a handful of the second, and I’m usually the only one in the last. And so, I was thinking, how many of those people don’t know how much poetry matters in our culture?
What IS Poetry?
Poetry is a term that gets tossed around a lot, especially in literary settings. But what does it actually mean? In this context, poetry is “literary work in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm” (Google Dictionary). In other words, it’s a work of literature where the author uses rhythm and style to express ideas or intense emotion.
Why is it Important?
Poetry allows the author to let out feelings, ideas, and observations in ways that make people think more about it. It’s written in a way that makes it seem insignificant at first, but when read makes you think deeper on things. It gives opportunities to open the imagination and understand the world around you (Shafer). It also allows both readers and writers to discover more writing styles (Simmons).
Misconceptions I’ve Seen and My Responses
A common misconception that I’ve seen is people saying that “all poetry is written by dead white guys.” That’s just plain incorrect. While yes, plenty of the more famous poets have been men, plenty of poets are female. One of my personal favorites being Rupi Kaur, author of Milk and Honey (slight content warning for that collection of poems). More famous female poets are Emily Dickinson and Anne Bradstreet.
Another thing I’ve heard is that all poetry is the same. It absolutely isn’t. There’s poetry about animals and nature, politics, society, personal pain, personal joy, and so, so many more. There’s also different types of poetry: rhyming, freestyle, epics, haiku, limericks and too many to name.
Conclusion
Poetry is often overlooked because it seems boring to many. But I say give it a chance, and you may find something you relate to or a style that you enjoy!
Works Cited
Shafer, Sonya. “What’s The Point of Poetry?” Simply Charolette Mason, 2025, https://simplycharlottemason.com/blog/whats-the-point-of-poetry/?srsltid=AfmBOooVy8jPiknxcq-DqmCnxPWTZokRqXbaVRh-SBm5OeFxLMsR5t_g. Accessed 14 May 2026.
Simmons, Andrew. “Why Teaching Poetry Is So Important.” The Atlantic, 8 April 2014, https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/04/why-teaching-poetry-is-so-important/360346/. Accessed 14 May 2026.
