Celebrating National Poetry Month

My Own Reflections On
The Importance Of Poetry

Recently while working on a collection of poems, I began to realize how important poetry is in our lives even if we are among those who say: "I don't like poetry. I never read poetry. I can't write poetry. I don't understand poetry." In spite of these assertions, I see poetry coming into our lives right from the beginning and staying there, coming and going, until the very end.

At birth, we receive greetings and gifts mostly accompanied by little rhymes and poetic sayings from family and friends to celebrate our arrival. In addition, in our early years we are read to and sung to from a variety of poetry. Latter we experience poetry in children's movies and videos, coloring books, learning books, and sometimes even in games.

Then, as we enter the world of "school", poetry "gets to us" through music, street and play ground talk, games, notes from friends, comic books, exposure to Shakespeare, and even movies which use poetry to socialize and entertain. At this age we may also notice poetry on bus signs, billboards, birthday cards, in congratulations, in jokes. Just everywhere we are, especially today in the midst of pop culture, we are surrounded by a variety of rhyming rap music, lyrical commercials and streams of media which all weave poetic reflections in and out of our lives.

As we mature, there are poetic wedding vows, more songs, music, and movies. There are also the never ending speeches of politicians, talks by movie stars on talk shows and the influence of powerful executives who quote poetry as part of their desire to impress and to "win us over." At this stage in our life, we may go to plays, museums, poetry slams, operas, dances, yoga, street and art fairs, the mosque, the synagogue, and the church where with a little awareness we notice that all of these include poetic reflections, written verses, lyrical speeches and poetic music. This epic through poetry continues during our life even though as adults we may never pick up a book of poetry or write a poem or read the works of a famous poet. The poetry is always there working into our consciousness and staying in our bank of memories.

When the time comes for us to leave this world there is a very good chance that someone we love and someone who loves us will be there to read, quote, or sing in poetic verse the last words meant to honor our leaving this universe.

Poets, as artist painting in words, have been known to change the world and because of their profound poetic thoughts, have been in some cases tortured, imprisoned, rejected, banned, even killed. It is also true that the power of rhymes, songs and stories are often catalyst for political, social, and religious revolutions. Poets in all cultures are praised, admired, cherished, and honored because their words haunt our psyche and touch the very core of our being with love, anger, fear, peace, joy, rage, happiness, pain and sorrow.

I hope you will take these few words as inspiration to find the poetic reflections in your own life. Give your words merit by recording them so others can see, read and remember ... in some way we are all the poets of our own destiny.
If you would like to share your poetry with me, just send an e-mail to amber@ambersilverstar.com. I look forward to hearing from you.


Love and Light,
Amber

The above photo is called MOON SHOT POETRY. It is the photography of Steven Olson and the poetry of Amber Silverstar, Copyright 2008, available on a variety of products by Cafe Press