Entry 41: American Poetry Today

Where do you find poetry in American life today? Are there "hidden" forms of poetry? In other words, is poetry sometimes present, but not recognized as poetry? Is poetry important to people today (especially compared with the past)? Why or why not? Is it important to you? Why or why not?

• Today American poetry can be found in many different places, though many people do not notice it. For example, the advertisements that we see every day contain poetry: the lines that are famous, or a famous small passage or speech in the advertisement may be in the form of poetry, though many people think that it's not because it's in free verse. Also, blogs that we usually come across in the internet are also types of poetry, especially when people are typing out their emotions (well, for me, I usually type out my feelings and mood in the form of free verse poetry, because it sounds better that way). Songs and speeches can also contain poetry. Poetry in songs includes rap and also just any normal lyrics. People us poetry in speeches to create mood. Lastly, the most common place where we can see poetry is in schools, starting from primary through intermediate, secondary, college, and finally to graduate school.
• In present day, poetry has become a subtle form of our lives. It is there, and it appears. It's just that we aren't aware of it because it appears to be too common, since most poetry today is in the form of free verse. People use poetry all the time, but they do not realize until someone points it out. Poetry is important to me because, as I mentioned above, it is the medium that I use to convey my own feelings.