Poetry can contain elements of the self and self expression, but there is more to life–and more to poetry.

I gravitate towards poetry that pushes beyond the self and into something more: W S Merwyn, Pablo Neruda, Anna Ahkmatova, Federico Garcia Lorca, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, and on and on.

The interesting point is the place of convergence–where you as a person meet and interact with the external world and other people. But just-the-self poetry is a solipsistic ride not meant for other people. I think this last week, someone was offended by criticism and said that it is fine if the reader doesn’t understand his/her words (it probably happened more than once). And, the author was correct: a self-expression of that nature belongs in a journal–a hidden file–certainly not for us. They were right in being offended–it was not written to endure criticism–it was written to sustain or express the self.

Hundreds of years ago, in Ireland, Kings feared the words of poets. The words of poets could cause action–and those same Kings believed that it could manifest reality. Pablo Neruda, a poet, was an Embassador for Chile to 15 different countries (France, Mexico, etc.) because of his power with language. Anna Ahkmatova could not be assassinated by Stalin because of the revolution it would cause in Russia because of her words. The link between language and power has always been clear–the people with the words were in power.

Today, language is still about power. If you lose your voice and your words, then others will speak for you and you will lose your power–a dangerous situation. A poem that is not meant to be seen is a waste of those words (unless it is practice). Even if your poem is about and for yourself, make it mean something. Make it part of a larger dialog about society, values, morality, punishment, torture, politics, sex, intimacy, inequality, happiness, struggle, whatever. It is extra work–it will require you to turn your brain on, and leave it plugged-in from here on out. It will require you to not only taste the emotions, but to struggle to understand them. But it is worth it.

I am saddened that poetry has been marginalized into a self-serving, self-help form of expression for “those artists.” The story of how our culture killed the power and even the words of Walt Whitman is terrible–and only one example of many. And, our words are next. We may be low on the list, but we are on that list. I want poetry to regain it’s prominence as a force to be reckoned with–I want King’s to fear the words of poets once more. We need to write poetry that matters about bigger things. We need to examine the world outside of ourselves and write poetry about it. We need to reclaim our place in history and in the discussion. We need to claim our power.

In order for any of that to happen, it will have to start with us–the poets.