One of the most interesting things about poetry is the emotions that it can cause. In all honesty plenty of the poetry assignments I wrote for school were meaningless and were simply words that fit into whatever format it was that my teacher wanted them to be in. But I’m not sure that I can honestly call those poems.
Everything I’ve written that I would dare to publish anywhere and claim it was a poem I am emotionally connected with. Sometimes it’s a simple connection, while other times the connection is so profound I’m not even sure how I come up with it. However, when the emotions are there I can see a difference in my poetry.
“Write what you know.” Is a quote that people can argue about for hours, on whether or not it’s true, or should even be considered when writing. However, when it comes to writing poetry, I believe it really does make a difference. When you write about something that you understand, even if it is in an abstract way, your writing becomes genuine, something that in poetry is often the key difference between a good poem and a great poem.
When I read a poem, I want to feel something. Even if it wasn’t what the Author intended me to feel, I want there to be some sort of emotional reaction caused by the words. The same goes for when I’m writing a poem. I want people to feel something when they read my poetry. That’s how people remember, by emotion.
Do you think emotion is important in poetry, or is there something else that stands out to you?