What do you feel poetry can accomplish that other forms can’t?
As Roque Dalton said, “poetry, like bread, is for everyone.” Poetry is an art that is open to most anyone who has something to say, a pen, and something to write on, or even just their body/spirit and a good memory—for those rooted in oral traditions like the many Indigenous cultures who pass on poems orally. I’ve taught poetry workshops to groups that didn’t consider themselves poets such as youth in foster care; it’s beautiful to see profound and musical verses emerge quickly out of people given a little inspiration, supportive community, and fifteen minutes of free writing. If they stick with writing poetry, the therapeutic value of documenting feelings and images can be very rewarding. I’ve found it’s best to write first for myself then think about sharing it with the world later, if at all. William Burroughs said, “all words heal”—art, music, and literature help sustain the human spirit, and poetry is a condensed, accessible form of creativity that can give meaning and medicine to diverse groups of people regardless of language or location. Words, stories, and poems can feed us just as much as bread.
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