Why is poetry important?
I don’t know that I would say poetry is important, but it’s certainly primal, in a way. Once we began using language we began creating poetry. I think poetry shows the essence of what language itself can to do. On the one hand, it describes and catalogues our world in a system which is very useful for survival. Poetry contains our most fundamental beliefs: just read any religious text. On the other hand, poetry, like language, is also a means for discovery. I mean, if you go into the writing of poetry with the intention of saying something, you’re only exploring half of what it’s capable of doing. But if you go into writing poetry looking to see what it reveals, letting go of the ego and all the intentions it’s heir to, then you’re on the adventure. Then you’re really going somewhere new.
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