Yesterday, March 21st, was World Poetry Day - a day set aside to celebrate the power and beauty of this ancient art form. It’s rare to meet the dad of a poet you love, but while I was in London a few weeks ago, I had coffee with Jonny Baker. I’ve known Jonny for more than two decades, a friendship that started virtually and blossomed when we were in the same place.
Jonny’s son is the poet Harry Baker. Harry's wit, wordplay, and storytelling never fail to make me laugh, think, and feel more deeply. His poems are a perfect example of how this ancient art form still has the power to delight and move us in the 21st century. If you spend any time watching Harry “perform” his poetry, you are reminded that poetry has been a way for humans to express their deepest thoughts and feelings for centuries. Yesterday was a day to remember how much poems can inspire us, challenge us, and change us.
I’ve replaced a lot of my podcast listening with listening to poets read their work. It wasnt something intentional - at first I just switched my feed to Poetry Unbound and I just followed my heart through my ears. A few weeks ago, these words from Frost on the Field, a poem by Eric Trethewey really make me think:
"Why are we not better than we are?, All around me the dead leaves lie."
When I see all the problems in the world, I wonder why it's so hard for us to be good. When life is tough, I often turn to poetry for help.Poetry has a special way of changing how we think. Just one strong phrase can wake us up from our normal way of seeing things. It can show us new possibilities we never imagined. When we take a moment to read a poem, we can question who we are and how we look at life.
Audre Lorde said poetry is like putting on glasses that help us see our lives differently. The right poem at the right time can make us notice things about our lives that we couldn't quite put into words before. Poetry wipes away the dust of daily life that makes us forget how amazing it is to be alive. That sense of wonder is the first step to making any real change.
These days, as I see so much bad news, I find myself holding onto poetry like a life raft. Poems give us a way to express deep hopes, fears, and wishes that everyday words can't capture. A good poet can stretch words to describe things that feel too big or intense to say out loud. The beat of poetry links our own pain to what everyone goes through. We don't feel so alone when times are hard.
So as "the day lets out one last breath and goes still", I find myself breathing out into the quiet of poetry. Waiting and listening for an answer to the big question the poet asks. Hoping that, through poetry's power, we can pick up the broken bits of ourselves and the world "to start over one more time" - always moving together towards being better people.
"The seed of what's not yet, real pauses and gets ready to begin again."
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