You Crave Poetry
More than you realize
I was introduced to poems as an 11-year-old when I found myself going through my grandfather's book collection. A page fell off to the ground and Kabir Das took me for a poetic ride. Soon after our little encounter, I found myself in front of the local library in search of this newfound craft.
This type of writing was interesting, it made sense to me quickly and affected me deeply. I was able to memorize and share it later with my family over dinner. I felt an addiction to reciting poems and it did not take me long to develop a life-long bond with words appearing on pages in the form of poetry.
I use poetry to feel better and communicate complex feelings, feelings that even I can not explain. Every time I read a poet I see a philosopher trying to deliver a message he is unable to interpret. There is a line where simplicity ends and complexity starts, poetry resides on that line.
I celebrate myself, and sing myself,
And what I assume you shall assume,
For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.Walt Whitman
For the past seven years, I have been studying poetry, sometimes for fun, sometimes as a deliberate distraction, and quite often to make sense of the world around me. Billy Collins once said that poems showcase the history of human beings. But this history is not about wars and slavery or starvation and advancement, though these have been quite popular topics among poets. Poetry is the history of human emotions and like many other admirers of this genre I try to understand humans through poetry.
My journey with poems will differ from yours on a number of levels. And that’s the beauty of words expressed in this form it’s extremely subjective and highly personal. Sometimes it touches the darkest corners of your heart and sometimes it acts as a mirror to reveal your true self.
Whatever may be the reason you started reading poems, there is one thing that we all share…Our Craving to Read More of It.
This craving was there in the time of Kabir Das and much before that and it will continue to exist in our hearts just behind our intense fears, unconditional love, and scary demons. Poetry will survive until emotions do; as if it dies, it will be a cruel world.
