Why Poetry?

Ask anyone and they will unanimously agree that poetry is a dying art. But if this is such an universally acknowledged truth, why do we see so many people picking up the pen at different stages of their life.

 Ask me and I would say that poetry cannot die!

Far from being an emotional stubbornness to protect the art form that sustains my soul as well, my reason behind the claim  is direct and simple: Poetry is the breath of life. It expresses the feeling of being alive as we navigate through various emotions and ideas till the end of our lives.

How possibly then could a living soul shut their heart to the beats of their very existence?

This World Poetry Day, let us move beyond the official stamps of revered poets and big names and dig deep instead – to discover and remind ourselves how crucial this art is to our lives.

“Poems are the balm over my wound,” says Apeejay Institute of Mass Communication (AIMC) student Aditi Shukla.  She explains, “Everyone has felt for sure how listening to a poem has quite a healing touch. I can vouch that writing and reciting a poem has a greater effect on one’s soul.”

In, as brief as, two lines she poetically describes the healing effect of poems. Aditi mentions, “Things which I cannot share with anyone in the world, I share those emotions and thoughts so easily through my poems. It is such effortless magic!”

Another AIMC student Kajal Sharma gets excited when asked about the role poetry plays in her life. She exclaims, “My face lights up with delight whenever someone cares to ask what poetry means to me. Poetry is the one friend who never fails to add colours to my life.” 

She adds, “All the sadness comes out as words on the paper. Writing a poem brings immense peace to my anxious mind. However, what people fail to notice is that poetry isn’t just words scribbled on paper. It is instead a lifestyle. I see a poem in everything around me. Poetry gives me perspective and I am incomplete without it.”

Yash, however, adds a social angle to the wonders of poetry. The AIMC student points out, “Poetry is special and it takes many shapes and forms. This beautiful art, if written correctly, conveys the message like no other medium. Words gain power when arranged skilfully in a poem. It is a weapon to educate society. It is not just the message of an individual heart. Poetry opens doors to collective good!”

Be it a source of courage to express one’s heart or an instrument of social change or countless other hues and views, one thing is for sure: Poetry is here to stay and say: When it really comes from the heart, poets do indeed have a way!