FEATURE
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given this idea of a magical property," Thornton says. "This makes it seem like the poet is in touch with some mystical realm that other people can't access." Poetry can be flexible, so don't let it intimidate you.
Poetry's flexibility makes it more inviting, but it also makes it hard to define. Kansas poet laureate Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg considers poetry to be words strung together with rhythm and image. Rhythm can be the sounds of the words and the patterns of sound that the words make together. Mirriam-Goldberg says, Image can be sensory descriptions that invoke our senses. "Words are much more powerful when put together in certain ways than they would be in daily prose or ordinary ways we might speak." Mirriam-Goldberg says, "It's a compressed form of language that lands in you and unfurls."
Like Mirriam-Goldberg's interpretation, the definition of poetry is often personal and decided by the person interacting with it. Poetry can be lines from poems, song lyrics, favorite quotes from movies, funny jokes and anything else that you personally consider it to be.
Found poetry is a type of poetry where authors take words or phrases that feel significant from other works and reframe them as poetry. For example, "Batman's Poetry" is a found poem by Jill Binder that shows the poetry within lines from Batman TV shows and comic books when taken out of context.
We die every day. A thousand times an hour. Anyone who does this work sees it. Death. Their own, their partners, their loved ones. We go to work anyway. Death is powerless against you if you leave a legacy of good behind. Death is powerless against you if you do your job.
As shown, poetry can come from anywhere. Poetry technically doesn't even have to be words. There is an abundance of poetry that doesn't make sense, but some people still enjoy reading it. "You can read poetry without having any understanding of it, without being able to explain it and think 'Wow, that's something,'" says Kenneth lrbry, associate professor of creative writing. For many people, poetry is another creative way of expressing themselves.
Ideas in poems often come organically. Poems aren't always the realization of a grand design of concepts and poetic techniques. Many times, poems are a simpler result of ideas that developed. Irby says that with many of his poems, everything that developed happened after he started writing them. Poetry tends to lead to the discovery of new ideas while writing as well as hearing the ideas of other people.
Martin Luther King's speeches can be considered poetic. Rayyan Kamal, Lawrence sophomore, says. Martin Luther King changed his inflection when he spoke, told a story and engaged audiences with interesting thoughts. Kamal says he is influenced by many thoughts considered poetic. He says poetry is a more interesting way of getting an idea across than a basic conversation. "You can convey a story
with another entertainment value," Kamal says. That additional entertainment value helps get the poet's message across and create new ideas. "When you discover things, they tend to enhance your understanding of the world." Kamal says.
Self-discovery through poetry is very common, and it frequently helps some people see the world in different ways. "It can illuminate the everyday sightings of our lives," Kansas Poet Laureate Mitriam-Goldberg says. "It can also show us what's beyond our usual sight and what's below the surface." Most poets find they actually started noticing more when they began writing poetry.
"It's like basic advertisement," Ignacio Carvajal, San Jose, Costa Rica sophomore and Word cohost, says. "You can't just know the basic facts of things and expect people to care. You have to be able to notice things if you want to get other people to notice them as well." Finding similarities between images and concepts can result in some of the more striking moments in poems, such as this excerpt from William Butler Yeats' "Sailing to Byzantium."
An aged man is but a paltry thing. A tattered coat upon a stick
This is just one example of one poetic technique. Poetry has plenty of other ways that it changes perspectives. "It can inspire people to see beauty in everything and see things that are wrong that they otherwise couldnt," Elsa Connolly, Overland Park sophomore says. Connolly performs her poetry at Fresh Ink, an open-mic poetry reading at the Jazzhaus, 926 Massachusetts St., that is held at 10 p.m. the first Wednesday of every month. She says she became inspired by other writers at the readings. "People say things you've never thought of." Connolly says. "That creative energy inspires other creative energy." Most of the performers at Fresh Ink are beginning poets who write about common experiences. Seeing young poets perform poetry is a great way to try out poetry because the topics are often relatable and you can experience the author's full intentions. "It's important to immerse yourself in the writing and hear the way people perform their poetry," Laura Kitzmiller, Prairie Village senior and creative writing major says. "Reading it on the page is one thing, but hearing it through the poet's voice is something quite amazing."
Try going to a poetry reading or reading random poems. There's no harm in flipping through an anthology of poems and seeing if anything triggers enjoyment. There's nothing wrong if you don't find anything, but who knows, maybe you'll discover something that speaks to you. Poetry is a unique, personal experience because it requires who it is interacting with to use their imagination. It is the expression of emotion and observation. Poetry is fact, but it is an insight to truth.
"It is difficult to get the news from poems, yet men die miserably every day for lack of what is found there." — William Carlos Williams
This is just to say
I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox
and which
Forgive me
you were probably
they were delicious
saving
so sweet
for breakfast
and so cold
- William Carlos
Williams
Recommended poets
CHARLES BUKOWSKI traditional poet
BILLY COLLINS traditional poet
ELVIS COSTELO lyric poetry
BRIAN DALDORPH local poet
JOE HARRINGTON local poet
KATHLEEN JOHNSON local poet
FADY JOUDAH
traditional poet
ORGANIZED KONFUSION lyric poetry
DENISE LOW local poet
JIM MCCRARY local poet
ANIS MOJGANI slam poet
WILCO lyric poetry
WILLIAM STAFFORD traditional poet
WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS traditional poet
SHARON OLDS traditional poet
MARY OLIVER traditional poet
PAUL SIMON lyric poet
7 p.m., Suggested donation: $5
LOCAL POETRY READINGS:
JUDY ROITMAN local poet
First Wednesday of the month Fresh Ink The Jazzhaus, 10 p.m. $3
Latino Writer's Collective The Writer's Place,
7 p.m. Suggested donation: $5
MAY 15
Phil Wang
Prospero's Bookstore, 10:30
p.m., free
MAY 7
MAY 16
Main Street Rag Poetry
Showcase The Writer's Place.
7:00 p.m., suggested donation: $5
MAY 22
MAY 22
Sterling Witt
Prospero's Bookstore,
10:30 p.m., free
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