The first time I wrote poetry was in sixth grade for a competition. It was about a girl I knew at the time. She was my sister’s friend, and we talked for hours over text messages because she lived in New York. I dedicated the poem to her, and although I didn’t win, it was one of the picked poems to be included in a book of poetry.

Now that I look back on the poem, it was cliche and bad. It was written with a basic rhyming scheme, and I no longer even talk to that girl. Even though I hate the poem now, it still holds a special place in my heart. It introduced me to the world of verse. I fell in love with writing my own poetry and reading other’s works as well. 

As I grew to love poetry, I realized how many people absolutely dreaded it. Anytime it was brought up in English class, I heard groans and complaining. It made me upset so many people didn’t appreciate the art form. But I believe it’s because most people aren’t educated on what poetry actually is. Most people probably think of elementary rhyming schemes or difficult lines that aren’t easily understood. In reality, poetry is so broad and unique to any reader or writer. Anyone can find their own niche that suits them as long as they give it a chance. 

There are so many reasons why people should be more open to give poetry a chance. When I first got into poetry, I was starting my first year at the junior high. My emotions were changing a lot, and I was having a hard time adjusting to the change. Poetry helped me have a better grasp on my emotions and understanding  who I was. Verse is a beautiful form of writing that can help anyone connect better with themselves. Reading poetry can make people process how their interpretations of works connect to their values or ideologies. Writing poetry can help them express those thoughts and feelings. They’re able to convey their life through writing while understanding how rhythm and sound adds to meaning. It can create a beautiful piece of work that’s unique to the writer.

Poetry can also help people connect with others better. It’s a powerful tool that gives insight onto different experiences and perspectives on life. The readers can be introduced to a multitude of different ideas just from reading a few words. It opens their minds to the world and helps them build empathy. Writing poetry can have a similar effect. Writers are able to share their experiences and initiate conversations with different issues. They can talk from the perspective of a community and look at the bigger picture. Overall poetry is a tool to help connect people together and build relationships.

Poetry is also an amazing tool for the mind. Most poetry focuses on compressing complex thoughts into small passages. For this to be done properly, the writer needs to be creative with every word, line, punctuation and sound put into their writing. It challenges the writer to think more creatively to make a strong piece of writing that conveys their message properly. They also build up their language skills while writing. They have to be able to know what figurative piece of language works well where and how wordplay can add a line rather than break it. Their writing skills are being improved along with vocabulary and comprehension of the language. 

Poetry is such a strong way to incorporate self expression and build up your writing skills. It’s also such a smaller form of writing in comparison to prose which makes it less overbearing. I encourage anyone to at least try writing poetry a few times. You might like it more than you think.