A Poet Reflects on Poetry

Words that crawl. Words that run.
Words that leapfrog just for fun.
Words that picture the unseen,
those are my stock-in-trade.

Words that paint. Words that rhyme.
Words that dance in metered time.
Words that move the heart to sing
are known as poetry.

That’s my recent rhyme that attempts to define what poetry is. And while some may contend that rhyming is not the same thing as writing poetry, I choose not to debate that point (at least not in this column).

As you may know, April is National Poetry Month. It’s a month set aside to celebrate how poetry contributes to our lives. But I wonder how many people actually take the time to reflect on lyrics that rhyme? In fact, who reads poetry anymore? Who memorizes it like we did in school? Who can list ten poets living or dead?  

Do these names mean anything to you? Elizabeth Barrett Browning? Alfred Tennyson? Henry Longfellow? Edgar Guest? Robert Frost? e. e. cummings? Robert W. Service? Annie Johnson Flint? Shel Silverstein? Maya Angelou?

Still, in an age when poetry may be considered passe, rhyming words refuse to be relegated to the past. Consider this: The hallmark of most greeting cards is the poetic sentiment inside. Radio jingles and television commercials are often written as a rhyme. Most secular song lyrics rhyme. So do rap lyrics. What we sing in church are primarily lyrical poems.

Poetry is at odds with the way we ordinarily express ourselves. In everyday parlance we are prone to speak and write in a matter of fact that is efficient and sparse. We say what needs to be said without elaboration. We get to the point as fast as we can in order to move on.

Poetic expression on the other hand employs similes, metaphors and modifiers that enable the reader or listener to visualize a scene and not just a series of words. Poetry is most appreciated with ordinary life collides with extraordinary circumstances. Its purpose is to help us linger in a holy moment and not move on too quickly.

No wonder poems have a reserved seat at inaugurations, graduations, weddings and memorial services. There are some occasions when it takes a poem to adequately capture the spirit of the moment. At times like that, words alone can’t compete with word pictures. So, too, when you find yourself in a place where you need to borrow language to express yourself emotionally.

The Psalms are a case in point. Even though all Scripture is considered inspired, authoritative and applicable to our lives, there is something special about the 150 chapters in the center of our Bibles. When we need to be reminded that God is able to care for our every need, reading Psalm 23 helps us picture that reality more than just stating facts. Visualizing the Lord as a shepherd leading us to green pastures and still waters makes a two-dimensional statement a three-dimensional experience.

I recently collaborated on a book with a graphic artist who specializes in calligraphy. In it, Timothy Botts makes a case for the importance of expressing creativity with words. Tim is skilled at bringing the meaning of words to life with color, shape and font. In his unique style he renders verses of Scripture and popular quotations in a way that illuminates their meaning.  His artistic offerings are themselves poetic.

But it doesn’t take someone with a gift in calligraphy to appreciate word pictures and how words picture beauty, love, grief, joy, hope, fear and faith. We all can experience the power of poetry and artistic expression of truth. It just requires taking a little time to reflect on rhyming words or blank verse. Words that are bound to be enjoyed for centuries to come.

In addition to each week’s post on this website, Greg Asimakoupoulos offers daily video devotionals on his YouTube channel. Here is a sample video. If you are interested in receiving these devotionals Monday through Friday, you can subscribe on Greg’s channel.