In every culture, in every language, there is expressive play, expressive word play; there's language use to different purposes that we would call poetry.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Poems are a form of music, and language just happens to be our instrument - language and breath.
There are still many tribal cultures where poetry and song, there is just one word for them. There are other cultures with literacy where poetry and song are distinguished. But poetry always remembers that it has its origins in music.
Poetry, almost by definition, calls attention to its language and form.
I certainly can't speak for all cultures or all societies, but it's clear that in America, poetry serves a very marginal purpose. It's not part of the cultural mainstream.
And yet, in a culture like ours, which is given to material comforts, and addicted to forms of entertainment that offer immediate gratification, it is surprising that so much poetry is written.
Poetry is one of the destinies of speech... One would say that the poetic image, in its newness, opens a future to language.
Poets are seen as the caretakers of language, so working with words no matter what the form is what we do.
But poetry is a way of language, it is not its subject or its maker's background or interests or hobbies or fixations. It is nearer to utterance than history.
If you go into a bar in most places in America and even say the word poetry, you'll probably get beaten up. But poetry is a really strong, beautiful form to me, and a lot of innovation in language comes from poetry.
What actually makes poetry poetry is of course impossible to define. We recognize it when we hear it, when we see it, but we can't define it.
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