Resisting Poetry

If you know me, you probably know that I am not a big fan of poetry. To me, it feels like the world's biggest pyramid scheme of a bunch of pretentious people pretending to enjoy this art form. In my last blog post, I realize that I was a little unfair to poetry, so I will be attempting to give it a fair shake in this one.

The main thing that bothers me about poetry is this idea of "resisting poetry" as being a good thing. Whenever you look up articles about poetry you will undoubtedly find them talking about how humans naturally resist the idea of poetry and that you should push through that resistance. To me, this just sounds like journalists being slightly condescending to those that don't like poetry, that somehow if you don't like poetry you are "uncultured" and you would rather do "simple things" than enjoy "high art". But, I promised I'd be fair to poetry, so let's fully examine that idea; is poetry a good thing despite our resistance to it?

We often relate resiting things to said things being difficult, which is often the case. Humans resist order, exercise, eating healthy, cold showers, and school, all of which are beneficial to us in the long run. It is difficult things that make us better people, but it is much easier for us, in the moment, to do what is easy for instant gratification. So, does poetry offer us long-term benefits? At first, I would say yes. Poetry allows us to challenge ourselves with its often esoteric meaning to analyze something between what the author is actually saying. However, as you think about it, what does poetry do that books and movies don't? In a past time when movies didn't exist and most of the population was illiterate, poetry problem was the best form of storytelling. It keeps people engaged with its rhyme scheme and is short enough that you can hear on a street corner rather than at an amphitheater. But anything you can get from poetry is done better in other art forms. Do you want something short and repeatable? Listen to some music. Want a look into what life was like hundreds of years ago? There are many books that convey that. Want something that is going to give you long-term benefits by consuming? There's literally a category called "Self-help books" that are for that exact purpose.

In conclusion, I don't think poetry is for me. If you enjoy it, great! Read away and enjoy experiencing this unique style of literature, but don't pretend like you are better because you read it. There is no objectively better thing about poems that makes them better than books or movies, but there's nothing wrong with enjoying them. In the end, poetry isn't the next bible and it isn't a waste of time, experience it if you want to and drop it if you resist it, there's nothing wrong with either choice.