I think the role of poetry is greatly understated in today’s world. Whether it is poetry written by a modern author or not there are always poems out there that today’s reader can relate to, find inspiration, wisdom or simply entertainment. I would love to see more general interest as well as more time spent in schools to get the young readers attracted to poetry.

Poetry is considered a literary art and there many kinds of poems. I will leave it to professionals to analyze and structure them, but they have one common denominator: efficiency. Poems are usually short art forms that use very few words to convey the message. They can be dramatic, inspirational, funny, casual or formal. They can relate to people or events like poetry for any occasions. They can make us reflect upon life or laugh at it. I certainly hope they can also entertain.

Poetry can stand on its own or be combined with other arts like music. Not everyone associates poetry with songs. Songs are such a great part of our everyday life and we may not even think that probably most of them started as lyric poetry. Most all of us have our favorite song. We know all the lyrics by heart since we listened to it many times. Many times we associate the song with certain events. Just hearing the song on the radio can take us back to that event or inspire certain mood.

Poetry is very powerful medium. It is also very fun to write. Children especially are very fond of it and it is quite easy to direct their interest to writing poems. Children’s imagination is quite vivid and they usually have no trouble finding the subject for their writing. I think it is important to stimulate and cherish children’s ability to write.

But it doesn’t mean that if you are an adult it’s too late to start writing poetry. There are a lot of references online that help with rhyming if you choose more traditional format. Reading examples of the work of other authors helps too.

It is very gratifying to write a poem. It’s not like you need to write a novel to show that you can write. Just find a quiet place and tap into this inner energy, which was probably there all along, and have fun. You can make it a family event too. Good place to start could be a poem about your own family. Personalizing the greeting cards for friends and family with short poems is another way to express your hidden talents. Just wait until you see the surprise on their faces; they will certainly appreciate your efforts to make them feel very special. Good Luck finding a Shakespeare within you!

Alexandra Garland