Personal Essay
Why You Should Read Poetry on Medium Writing Platform
Especially When You Think Poems Are Irrelevant
When I first joined Medium.com, my focus was not really on writing. I was, in fact, a reader.
I was already a published author, primarily in the double genres of short story fiction and poetry, with a number of my pieces included in anthologies published on Amazon over the years.
At first, I really didn’t think that fiction or poetry was quite the right fit for an on-line platform like Medium. I imagined no one was here to read fantasy or verse. Instead, I envisioned it as a place to read about relevant real-life issues, with deep dives into dealing with mental health or interpersonal relationships or popular, engaging trends. I knew nothing of listicles. Well, I was wrong on so many levels.
So why did I join Medium?
The answer lies in a story that was featured on the nightly news and on the round-up of morning programming. It was a true story, published on Medium by someone describing her brush-with-near-death, a catapulting experience — a first-person essay that went viral. Actually, way beyond viral.
This story piqued my interest. I was intrigued and wanted to read this particular writer’s account of what happened to her — and I was curious as to why it would gain the attention of all these networks.
It was the first time I had ever heard of the Medium writing platform.
I would love to share the story, but here’s the irony — and I’m being perfectly candid now — I don’t remember the name of the writer nor the title of the piece and doing some research on the site didn’t help me find the long-lost article.
Spotting a friend’s article on Medium.
Then a friend of mine wrote a blog or a piece on Medium about her real-life experience with a lesion on her brain and I started reading about signs of aneurism and stroke, as well as my general well-being. I found many articles on these subjects on Medium. Soon I discovered that Medium topics covered almost everything under sun.
I have read thousands of pieces on Medium.
Back then, I didn’t grasp the concept of following writers or highlighting pieces. Since then, I have read thousands of pieces on Medium. I love reading the written word — seeing the world through the eyes of different perspectives and connecting with other writers.
Poetry on Medium — I had found my tribe of fellow writers.
Navigating through Medium brought me into a multi-faceted marketplace of writing — -which included poetry. I was amazed. I had found my tribe.
And so I began my writing journey on Medium — -where I inhaled the power and beauty of words.
Still, everyone told me I would never make good money writing poetry on this site, and they’re probably right.
The poets are somehow classified as the artsy niche of Medium, shoved into our creative corner, invisible, to a large degree outside of our own community, not really able to attract hundreds or thousands of views outside our circle. After all, can reading a poem ever compare to reading an article on how some writer consistently makes hundreds of dollars on Medium month after month? Can one high inflate another?
Why should you read poetry on Medium?
Maybe it’s not your drug of choice or a language you easily understand. But maybe there is something universal, healing and magical about a collection of words that makes you stop to think, to feel.
Poetry is alive and well. It is relevant. It lurks everywhere, from the likes of Rupi Kaur to Atticus to Bukowski to Frost. It even exists on Medium.
This past inaugural week brought some light to a nation. To me, it felt transformative.
A twenty-two-year-old wrote a brilliant poem that rocked the world. Her reading gave me goosebumps. It was, in a word, inspiring.
Her name — Amanda Gorman — rings in my ears and will probably do so for many years to come. She brought a message, one of hope, so powerful — and even more than that — she made poetry feel exciting not just for me, but for a nation and the world. In her own way, she made poetry feel relevant for all of us.
© Connie Song 2021. All Rights Reserved.
