Poetry probably falls through the cracks of English and literature courses so often because it’s overlooked as an artistic expression of emotion in the same way that the visual arts are. Poetry is most often not taught in any hands-on kind of way, the way it really should be. Some people may find poetry pass right by poetry. Why? Is to be told a story directly without having to put too much of their own thought into it? Is it because it’s too abstract?
Poetry can be compared to painting. When you look at a work of art, you first see it for what it is—a depiction of a person, an animal, a place, or a thing. You’ll notice the colors and the textures, and maybe how the light shines through a window or highlights a patch of flowers. These are the things you see on the surface. Then you look a little closer at some of the fine details. How did the painter make white paint look silver against blue drapery? How did the artist catch that sad look in the eyes of the child? How on earth did he actually make an apple look so real you could almost reach out and grab it off the table?
Now what about abstract art? What do you see in these paintings? Strange shapes and images—are they recognizable? Do they make you feel a certain way? When you look at abstract art, maybe you don’t necessary see as much as you are actually feeling.
To some people, poetry is like abstract art. Some people feel that poetry is too subjective to the artist for the reader to be able to fully understand it. How can you make sense of words that don’t necessarily tell a story? To appreciate art, you must first appreciate your own sensibilities, then you must appreciate form and texture. With poetry, you start with an appreciation of and trust for your own feelings, and then you examine your appreciation of words and the magic they make when they’re used together.
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