Elizabeth M Castillo : part three

What do you feel poetry can accomplish that other forms can’t?

I believe poetry is one of the most accessible forms of writing, in spite of the reputation it’s gained in the last century, or maybe longer. A poem is a collection of words that make you feel something, like a song whose melody will sound different to each person that reads it. Poems are shorter, often more abstract, so can take whatever meaning the reader needs at the point of reading. 

I’m not sure what happened with poetry, that it’s come to be considered as so unattainable to the average person. I think paid poetry competitions, the obsession with literary qualifications like MFAs, and our continued veneration of the same small circle of literary publications and platforms are not helpful in handing poetry back to the people. I’m a firm believer that good poetry is poetry that speaks to you, whoever you are and whatever you’re going through.