A poem is a form of literature.
We cannot narrow in on when it originated, but we know that it is derived from
oral traditions such as folk songs. It incorporates a substantial amount of symbolism,
imagery and connotations. Poetry can be a description of the river, but it can
also be the same word repeated in a particular visual format to emphasise on
the intended meaning. In poetry, words are rarely left to spare but it leaves a
strong impact on the reader. However, it is hard to find commonalities across
poems. While we can say with confidence that pieces of literature such as
novels are an extended work of fiction, we cannot confine poems to such norms
or definitions.
The lack of definition gives us
readers the scope to interpret it as wide as we possibly can. I remember in 7th
grade, my teacher told me that Muhammad Ali wrote the shortest poem—me, we.
That was when I realised that poetry can be confusing yet fascinating. To me,
the primary reason it is fascinating is because it is a diverse form of
literature and there is immense scope for interpretation. I was curious to know
how a poem that consists of only two words can have such an impression on its
readers. I like it because it encourages us to think about what we define as
“me” and “we.” These two words talk about the relationship between the
individual and the community. Our understanding of it changes with social,
cultural and political climates, in addition to our own personal philosophies
Concepts such as gender or race cannot be put in one box all the time, nor
should they be. They are fluid and our understanding of these concepts helps us
explore the poem in various arrangements.
Poetry resides in celebrating diversity—in society,
nature, the strength in struggles and abstract concepts such as emotions and
spirituality, in addition to celebration and diversity themselves! It cannot be
understood entirely upon one reading; it requires time and effort to be able to
appreciate this beautiful form of literature.
An aspect of poetry and art that
has always stood out to me is the usage of sound. A large part of poetry is how
you read or recite it. There is a strong emphasis on the rhythm, phonetics and,
at times, the enunciation. A great example of the use of sound in poems would
be Jazz Poetry. It combines my love for jazz and excellent writing. In the
1920s, Langston Hughes, an American poet, pioneered Jazz Poetry. He wrote a
poem titled ‘Harlem’, in 1951. It was written as follows:
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore—
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over—
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
The poem talks about a dream deferred. It highlights the
reality that the American Dream is not within reach of everybody. It is
inaccessible to people who belong to a particular social class, sex, race, etc.
The poem also outlines the various reactions that one might have to have their
dreams crushed and it is expressed in sensory terms. The underlying theme for
all of these reactions is passiveness. However, the last line that explores the
possibility of the dream exploding suggests an alternate response—protests and
a revolution. Hugh’s iconic poem challenged white supremacy and brought in the
fact that everyone has a dream that they want and deserve to fulfil. Due to the
decades of suppression, black people also started to believe that their voices
were too insignificant to be heard, that they were too little and they did not
have enough power. It pushed against the conventional idea at the time of who
was allowed to fulfil their dream. Jazz Poetry often focuses
on such issues. The softness, loudness, speed and the shift between these
aspects remains its primary distinguishing feature. The recitation is
accompanied by jazz which reflects the mood of the poem and typically, as the
poem moves forward, the recital also starts to imitate the syncopations of
jazz.
I type-casted myself as someone
who could not appreciate poetry the way it could/ should be appreciated because
I do not understand as much of it as I want to. However, the English Literature
classes acted as a catalyst to my interest in poetry and exploring this
intriguing work of art. I discovered that another form of poetry called
Concrete Poetry. This form of poetry follows a particular visual format that
illustrates an idea in the poem. One of my favourite examples of this is ‘The
Mouse’s Tale’ from Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol. In the book, the mouse
tells Alice that he wants to recite to her a sad, long tale about his life. She
misinterprets ‘tale’ as ‘tail’. She looks at his tail, agrees that it is indeed
long and enquires about why he calls it sad. The mouse begins to narrate his
story and in Alice’s mind, the words that make the story are arranged to look
like a tail. I think this is an exciting format and appeals to the side of me
that yearns for art and aesthetics.
I have surprised myself with how
much I began to enjoy poetry after I started to explore this diverse form of
literature. Liking poetry was particularly eye-opening to me because it has
always been difficult for me to fathom developing an affinity towards it. I
feel positive that I will continue to fuel this enthusiasm for poetry as well
as other forms of literature.