Poetry And Art

According to Merriam-Webster, by definition, poetry is “writing that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience in language chosen and arranged to create a specific emotional response through meaning, sound, and rhythm.” Poetry is  written art, each word coming together to craft a beautiful story. Every word, placement and use of punctuation is purposeful. The weight of thousands of emotions weighing heavy on just one word.  Poetry is an artform where the page is a canvas and the words are the colors.

"the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings"

-William Wordsworth 

The “Why” of Poetry

Poetry transforms intangible things, like feelings, memories and abstract thoughts into something tangible and explainable. A poem carefully puts together rhythm and metaphors to craft meaningful stories. A poem can evoke feelings the same way looking at an emotional painting does or the same way listening to a sad song does. A poem isn’t just a form of storytelling, but it is also a way to emotionally connect with the readers. The “why” of poetry is to connect with your audience by making them feel what you are writing about. 

An example of this would be:

A Dream Deferred- Langston Hughes

A Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes is a great representation of the why of poetry. The poem draws on the feeling of regret. The poem is relatable to anyone who has felt like they haven’t been able to reach their potential, whether it was their fault or not. The poem ends with the line “or does it explode,” equating repressed feelings to something that builds up inside until it eventually spills out in some way. Maybe writing poetry is a form of that spillage. The emotions build up inside until they find a way to escape through the use of words.

Poetry and The Senses

“Painting is silent poetry, and poetry is painting that speaks,”

-Plutarch

Poetry and visual art are often intertwined, each having moments of drawing inspiration from the other. Ekphrastic poetry is a poem that describes a visual work of art (such as, paintings, sculptures and photographs) using vivid detail. This is an example of the sense of sight influencing the creation of poetry.  

 The Disquieting Muses by Giorgio De Chirico 1916

An example of an Ekphrastic poem is “The Disquieting Muses,” by Sylvia Plath which was inspired by Girogio De Chirico’s painting of the same name. 

Good poetry does not only engage the visual sense, but it also taps into the other senses. The rhythm of a poem could sound like music drumming in your mind. A good poem can describe something so perfectly, making you feel like you are there, making you feel exactly what the speaker is feeling. Poetry has the powerful ability to engage all of the senses, turning a simple moment into a profound and meaningful experience.

Poetry Should be Shared

The statement “sharing is caring,” is applicable to poetry. The creation of poetry stems from caring and caring enough about something to transform that feeling into words. Poetry is about connecting with others and sharing experiences with your audience. Poetry isn’t just words on a page, but a collection of phrases that come together to tug at the heartstrings of the readers, allowing them to feel something.