April is National Poetry Month!📖

When we think of writing, we often think of books, papers, articles, maybe even memoirs. But what about poetry? The writing form that has given us such beautiful words like those found in one of Shakespeare’s sonnets, macabre tales like those in Poe’s poems, and even the emotional confessionals found in Plath’s prose. And we can’t forget the famous Odyssey, a poem of truly epic proportions!

In honor of National Poetry Month and all of the wonderful things poetry has given the world, I will be spending some extra time to talk about poetry!

Poetry has been a mainstay in writing all over the world for the ability to capture one’s emotions, or a single moment in time, in such a way that makes you stop and feel and think, even in so few words most of the time.

A poem digs a little deeper and every word is thought out so carefully, to convey the meaning and bring the ideas home in such a short space, or sometimes a longer space. Sometimes we have poems with very specific rules, challenging even the best writers to make their idea fit. And sometimes, they’re loose and sweeping, and full of more than meets the eye. Sometimes they rhyme, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes they’re sorrowful and emotional, and sometimes they’re jovial and full of humor.

When it comes to poetry, sometimes there is some confusion and blurred lines about it. Something I hear quite often is, “What’s the difference between poetry and prose? Are they not mostly the same?” We even had a little chat about this just a couple months ago in the writing group I’m in. So let’s talk about it!

What is poetry?

Merriam-Webster says poetry is “writing that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience in language chosen and arranged to create a specific emotional response through meaning, sound, and rhythm.” While we can argue that writers of all kinds choose their words specifically when writing, words in poetry are so carefully picked to do many things: fit in a certain format if they choose a certain type of poem, have to convey a very specific thing in a specific way, sometimes have more than one meaning. Poetry is very intentional.

what is prose?

Merriam-Webster says poetry is “the ordinary language people use in speaking or writing” or “a literary medium distinguished from poetry especially by its greater irregularity and variety of rhythm and its closer correspondence to the patters of everyday speech.” In short, prose is the normal way we speak and write, like in books and articles, letters, and the like. When speaking or writing in prose, do we think through our words? Sure. Not necessarily in the way we do with poetry though. Prose allows us to say what we mean and be more concise and direct, and let the words flow a bit more naturally.

So, can they have things in common?

Absolutely! Saying that poetry is thought out in a way to convey certain meanings in a certain way does not mean that the same cannot be said about prose. Writers of all kinds are sure to put a lot of thought into and meaning behind their words. Prose can definitely have a more poetic feel, and maybe even teeter the line between poetry and prose; I like to look at children’s books for this example. They often rhyme and feel very poetic. Poetry can have a more prose-like feel while still being poetry. A great example of this is free verse poetry. There are no rules or regulations and a writer is able to express themselves in a way that isn’t quite prose, but not as strict as other forms of poetry either.

Regardless of if you write poetry or not, or read poetry or not, I think just about anybody can read a poem of any kind and see the beauty in it, appreciating the careful thought and consideration that went into the words chosen and how they were placed, and all the details of the poem as whole.