Challenges of the Week

1. Make a full 6 line poem without using the word "the" more than 3 times.
2. Create a writing schedule for the week and follow it. 
3. Write a poem that introduces you and/or your personality in a unique way. 

Questions of the Week

1. What separates your poetry from everyone else's? 
2. How will your poetry help to impact others?

What does a modern poet look like and how are they impacting the world right now?

Nowadays, a poet can look like a college student, a corporate businessman, or even a 13 year old private school student. With the rise in political unrest and divides, new poetry has been able to take form. A more recent form of poetry is Spoken Word, Slam Poetry, and Blog Poetry.

Some of the more focused poetry that is impacting people nationally is poetry talking about the #BlackLivesMatter movement all the way to poetry on self expression, confidence, and fighting against bullying. I personally feel as if popular modern poetry is those which focus on political struggles and issues.

Poetry can be nontraditional and without specific styles. It can be vibrant and unique. I, as a young poet, have been given a chance to publish my poetry in a chapbook, "What Is?" which mostly is about addressing many topics affecting the world currently. Below is an excerpt from one of my poems, "Stained Concrete."

We walk blindly on the concrete

Stained with the blood of a boy who dreamed

Of becoming an investigator

But he became the crime scene

We walk blindly on the red concrete

Missing the eyes of a boy who was only 16

Now blood-covered and stricken

Too deaf to hear his scream

We walk blindly on the red concrete

Our youth struck down on his knees

His face remembering

                                                             Feeling the summer breeze

We continue to walk blindly on his hardened blood

Not stopping because it’s just another 1 dead

Won’t pause to fully recognize

That the concrete is still stained red

Where has poetry been a prominent/big component in a political/civil movement?

In order to fully understand the impact poetry and words truly have, we must see them applied in our lives. First, let's define the key terms. 

Political Movement: a social group that operates together to obtain a political goal, on a local, regional, national, or international scope.

Poetry: literary work in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm; poems collectively or as a genre of literature.  

Who is to say that these two forms of expression to achieve a certain emotion or goal can't correlate? In fact, in many instances, they have done just that. 

As mentioned in a previous post, "How has poetry changed through time?," The Harlem Renaissance is one example of poetry being enacted as a political/ social movement. It got people aware of the struggles of poverty and inequality in the African American community. 

Poetry was also a major factor in the Freedom Movement (Civil Rights Movement), because it addressed the social injustices taking place during the time. 

Some highly regarded and emotion evoking poems of that time include, but aren't limited to:

• "The Song of Smoke"- W.E.B. Dubious 
• "Saturday's Child Incident"- Countee Cullen
• "We Wear the Mask"- Paul Lawrence Dunbar
• "Comes the Colored Hour"- Langston Hughes

Each of the poems above are addressing the mentalities of the Freedom Movement and even stop and have the readers consider their own thoughts. Poetry had become a key component of the Freedom Movement when it achieved that. 

How has poetry changed through time?

Poetry has been in existence ever since humans opened their mouths and opened their minds to express themselves. For centuries, poetry has been one of the leading factors in artistic, cultural, and intellectual movements. 

One of the most popular and earlier eras of poetry was that of the Ancient Greeks from the 7th to 4th centuries. 

Around this time, poets were often dramatists (playwrights and writers) who performed for the ruler and entertained the noble of the community. In the picture adjacent, Homer is being entertained with the poetry of Sappho, one of his followers. This was a common pastime of many artistic ancient Greeks. Some of the most famous poets of the time were Homer, Hesoid, Sappho, Euripides, and several others.

Poetry can be written many different ways. During this time, it was often written as odes, epics, lyrics, tragedy, and even as a comedic pieces. 

"Sing, Goddess, sing of the rage of Achilles, son of Peleus—
that murderous anger which condemned Achaeans
to countless agonies and threw many warrior souls
deep into Hades, leaving their dead bodies
carrion food for dogs and birds—
all in fulfilment of the will of Zeus."

~Homer, The Illiad Book 1

Another very popular and earlier poetry era was during the Elizabethan and ,not surprisingly, the Shakespearean eras. This time was known as the Golden Age of poetry because it was apart of the Italian Renaissance and many other periods of artistic flourishing. One of the most common styles of poetry was sonnets, which were spread by Sir Thomas Wyatt. 

Religious poetry also becomes very popular in this period.  

" Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, and therefore, is winged Cupid painted blind" 

-William Shakesphere, A Midsummer Night's Dream

The period following the Renaissance is the American Transcendentalists (1836-1860) which features Ralph Waldo Emerson and other New England intellectuals like Louisa May Alcott. 

Another breakthrough flourishing period of poetry being highlighted is The Harlem Renaissance. This is one of my personal favorites that I learned about. This period differs from the others in that it features struggle through words. During this time, there was a huge African American migration to the northern areas of America, following World War I. 

Most of the artists were battling and resisting the culture of racism and oppression with their poetry. Of course, one of the most impactful areas that this movement spurred from was Harlem. Artists that led this movement include, but aren't limited to, Langston Hughes, Jean Toomer, James Weldon Johnson, Countee Cullen, A. Brown, and others.

These periods may not be the only ones, but they are, in fact, some of the most impactful ones as it regards to its influence to the lives of many people now. Next time you think about the poems you masterfully construct, remember not to take advantage of your abilities and revolutionize the world with your words.

Until next time,

Kate's Corner Cafe