Poetry Reflection

Poetry plays a big role in my life because poetry is something that I can and always go to whenever. Poetry comes in very different forms; music, books, pictures, and they all mean so much to me. For example, almost a year ago, one of my very close friends passed away, and I couldn’t really find anything to make me forget. Once I started to listen to music, and actually read poems, I could forget the pain for a little bit. After this unit of learning different types of poetry, reading those different types and actually writing these types of poetry I not only learned a lot, like how the same type of poetry can have so many different emotions but I also had fun and forget about everything, like tests and situations at home. I think that poetry really isn’t for everyone. I think that many people are passionate about it, and turn to it for help but many people don’t really get the meaning behind it, and maybe poems just don’t explain their likes and feelings as well as they would like it to be. I say this because a lot of the students in our class don’t really like poetry. It was mostly the boys, so I don’t know if they really don’t like it, or if they like it but don’t think it is “manly” enough. I think that many people are really destined to like poetry, or to have it in their life, just like not everyone is passionate about sports. Poetry is a huge part of my life, that I think that if I didn't have it, I wouldn’t be the person I am. Even though poetry is a big part in my life, that doesn’t mean that it is a huge part of everyone’s life. 

The experiences in a poet’s life affects a poem that they write a lot because I think that if you are going to make a good poem and have it be believable then you have to experience it so you can explain the little details that make it come true. For example, if you are writing a poem about the feelings you get before riding your first roller coaster then you would have to experience it to explain the little details, like how your stomach turned, or the sweat dripping down your neck, instead of just saying that you were nervous. An example of how a poet’s experiences affect the poem in a great way is Billy Collins’ “The Names” His poem is about the effects after the tragic 9/11. You could tell that the poem had a lot more meaning because he was there, and he explained many things that wouldn’t be pictured the day after the tragedy, like the rain, and the wind. I think that reading poems that did include the poet’s experiences and some that didn’t, the poets who use their experiences in life and include it into their poem come out with a better, more real poem.