Why is poetry important?
It makes room for slowness. I think most of the forces we get exposed to on a minute-by-minute basis encourage (or insist) on completion and product. We’re encouraged by the structure (most of us) live in to produce something packable, comprehensible, digestible. We’re always working towards the “end,” but poetry refuses that. First, because a poem is always evolving in relationship to the reader and the reader is always evolving in relationship to…everything. Second, because to even move towards comprehensibility, it’s necessary to think very slowly. I think the reason people resist engaging with poetry is the same reason poetry is important: it's practice in resisting perfection.
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