I think the unique thing about poetry is that it is malleable yet unwavering. That sounds like something out of a book review but, in all seriousness, I have seen poems serve in so many functions, and I have experienced so many things that I would dare to call poetry because of the ways I have been moved by them. A more salient example lies in how I approach my own work.
In my college days, I was news reporter, editor, and editorialist, but I left those roles to create a more vibrant and accessible community for poetry on my campus. My peers and I achieved that goal, but though I left the news industry, I never felt like I left journalism behind. To me, the poetry I was writing was still about illuminating the real narratives I held dear or felt didn’t get enough play in mainstream media outlets. Being Palestinian, it’s difficult for our narratives to receive adequate attention; and when given attention, they are rarely done justice. Poetry was a means of reportage that allows me – and so many others – to distill our history, and offer texture to the reportage in the way that so many other mediums do not.
Ultimately, I think that poetry is able to help us craft new definitions for our feelings and thoughts; it offers us a way to resonate with something or someone in moments, where other mediums might take longer to engage us. From that craft, we are better positioned to envision new definitions for what the world can be. But, poetry demands our attention. You can not reap the benefit of a poem if you do not lend yourself to it or open yourself up to the possibilities of where it can take you in the few moments it has your time. In that way, it is unwavering. Poetry is built to move us in so many ways, but we have to put in a little work to be gifted that movement.
I think that’s where poetry accomplishes so much: the best, most moving pieces ask something of the reader in ways other forms may not.
No comments:
Post a Comment