PERSONAL ESSAY | POETRY
Why Poetry
And The Poets Who Inspire Me
A new friend here on Medium, Radhika Iyer and I were discussing William Wordsworth in comments of her recent post Petrified by Poetry? and she has asked me two questions that deserve more than a quick jot in comments. The questions were:
- Who else do I read?
- What is my interest in poetry?
Let’s begin with a mixture of both questions. My interest in poetry began at a very young age — around ten years old. Back in those days (mid-70s), they would have a book fair every year at our school where we could order books from a pamphlet at discounted prices. I ordered Shel Silverstein’s book Where the Sidewalk Ends because I was intrigued by the cover art, but the poems inside were stunning, exciting and fun! I’ve been hooked on poetry ever since.
I began seeking out more poems by Shel Silverstein and then I discovered Langston Hughes, who was recommended to me by a friend in grade school. His poem Dreams touched me deep inside. I would go on to read any of his poems that I could get my hands on. His work opened my eyes to the plight of African Americans and their struggles for equality.
Dreams
BY LANGSTON HUGHESHold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.
In my early high school days, I was introduced via my literature classes to the likes of William Shakespeare, John Keats, Dylan Thomas, William Butler Yeats, William Wordsworth, Alfred Tennyson, Percy Shelley, William Blake, Robert Frost, Edgar Allen Poe, and Emily Dickinson, just to name a few. While I enjoyed all of these poets and their poems, I was mostly drawn to Wordsworth, Thomas, Poe and Dickinson because there was something mournful weaved through their poetry. By my senior year, I was reading poets that my senior English lit teacher disapproved of — Sylvia Plath, Robert Lowell, Anne Sexton, and W.D. Snodgrass. My teacher preferred the classic and romantic poets, but I was leaning more toward personal, confessional poetry.
After high school, I would go on to college and study poetry, and eventually become a poet myself. Because I attended an all-female college, emphasis was placed on female poets — Maya Angelou, Mary Oliver, Rita Dove, Audre Lorde, Rupi Kaur, and Adrienne Rich were some of my favorites.
To this day, I still seek out poetry, often discovering new poets and adding their works to my ever-growing collection.
So why poetry? What about it interests me? What drives me to want to read it and write it? For me, poetry is magical. It is painting pictures with words. Spilling emotions all over a page or slinging inky tar onto a canvas. I am fascinated by word-play, using forms and free verse, and watching words cascade down a page like a stream or rushing waterfall. I use poetry as therapy — as a space for birthing and rebirth. For me, poetry is life.
©2021 Lori Carlson. All Rights Reserved.
Again, I wish to thank Radhika Iyer for sparking this piece. Check out her post that sparked our communication
And also check out her latest post, again on poetry
Lori Carlson writes Poetry, Fiction, Articles, Creative Non-Fiction and Personal Essays. Most of her topics are centered around Relationships, Spirituality, Life Lessons, Mental Health, Nature, Loss, Death, and the LGBTQ+ community. Check out her personal Medium blog here.
