an essay on the least understood art medium

I have been writing poetry since I started puberty.

That's about five years of formatting my curiosities and emotional secrets into stanzas and poetic vignettes.

My poetry has drowned in angst, alit with hope, and fallen in love when not asleep. Because of this, I feel I have the right to clear poetry of its stereotypical name, and reveal its true depth and possibly.

Poetry is no longer written exclusively to describe a desperate romance by endlessly droning metaphors or nature's vast beauty. Those two themes, common in the surface level of poetry (Shakespeare, Walt Whitman), are too common in the false, shallow, and dare I say white American understanding of poetry. I write "white American" because poetry is an art medium, thus it's dependent upon culture. Our stereotype of poetry is ignorant when poetry is ignored, and then our judgment of others. The African-American revolution of poetry is as creative and noteworthy as jazz. Poets such as (the most famous and incredible) Maya Angelou and Amanda Gorman are among the most deserving poets to feature. My favorite poet is transgender, gay, and has a Tumblr account. Every queer- themed piece of his I read I crave to match in its gut-punch.

According to the Poetry Foundation, 90% of American readers highly value poetry, agreeing it improves social engagement and overall lifestyle. They also write that most Americans incidentally encounter poetry during social occasions romantic and mournful. It is rarely purposefully and consistently sought out because of negative experiences during school or boredom with it.

But when during their school careers as I have, they maintain the enthusiasm to continue to read, recite, and write poetry. This survey proves those who consume poetry are overall more fulfilled and believe that if you read poetry, you are benefiting society.