When most people think of poetry, they think of a poem written hundreds of years ago in language that is confusing to the modern reader. However, modern poetry is something that can be enjoyed by all those who choose to indulge in it. For example, I just read a book containing pages of only poems called The Crossover, published in 2015. The Crossover is a children’s book by American author Kwame Alexander.
I think that for a younger audience, The Crossover, winner of the 2015 Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award Honor, makes some points about poetry that a lot of people miss. For example, poetry does not have to rhyme.
Poetry is something that the human mind is very good at creating. For instance, whenever you think of something, your brain probably lists several identifying qualities about that subject. You can mix those qualities with the emotions attached to the subject; for example, your significant other. They probably make you happy and have defining qualities that you think of every time you see them.
Poetry is written from the heart, which is why poetry serves as such effective inspiration when written well. Most people assume two things about poetry. They think that all of poetry has a template. Contrary to this, you can write poetry in what is called free verse form. Free verse means that you can structure your poem however you’d like, with varying syllable counts and other things found in other structures. Another common belief about poetry is that has to rhyme. I feel I must emphasize this. No matter if you write free verse or a format that has a loose rhyme scheme, it isn’t needed to make a poem at all.
No matter how you choose to write, whether in poetry or prose, you can find inspiration in writing about things you love whenever.
