Hello, Poetry Friend
What is poetry anyway? That’s what I’ll be writing about here at Poetry for Life this month.
I begin with a poem for a friend of mine, a fifth-grader. She had some questions about this thing called poetry — perhaps you do too.
po - e - try What are you studying? She pulls out the word in pieces, like a hammer broke it open. “Po-? Po?” Surely she isn’t trying to say prose. Is it a story? Eh? She shakes her head. Is it teaching you something? Maybe? Po-? Po-? Does it rhyme? Sometimes? Po-? Po-? Poetry! Yes, po - e - try. Each syllable a gem. Just try. – Megan Willome
Poetry Journaling
What is your relationship with poetry? Is it something hard to pronounce?
How would you define poetry?
Based on that definition, is my offering above a poem?
Write your own poem, telling us what poetry is. If you like, email me what you write.
Happy poeming!
Megan
Megan, it is too wild that you posted this today, while I posted about the difficulty of getting at a definition of poetry (and the joy of reading it): https://rebeccadmartin.substack.com/p/how-to-like-reading-poetry-101
. . . Great Poetry Minds thinking alike! Here's a little haiku about what a poem can do. Now I'm inspired to write a series!
Crack me wide open
little lens on the wide world
using only words
Here's my little poem about poetry, a play on words. And yes, po-e-try is a poem, in my poetic oppinion.
Poetree
Poetree is the root
Of the word exposed
For all to hear.
Poetree is the shade
Of the stanza
Sheltering the soul.
Poetree is the miniscule
Leaf of meaning
When seen together is right.
Poetree is the whole
Taken in bit by bit
Until the hearer becomes
One with the poem.