Rising Stars Ode to April

Poetry lurks in the shadows waiting to come out of its corner

Poetry is an art form that has existed on the Earth for thousands and thousands of years. It has always been a form of expression used to bring light to certain subjects, evoke strong emotions, or simply make you think. With April being the recognized Poetry Month, it’s good to know why poetry and poets throughout history deserve to be recognized. Haiku. Sonnet. Free Verse. Slam. Acrostic. Limerick. Ode. These are all different types of poetry. And these aren’t even all of them! Even within poetry, there are so many different ways to express yourself! Odes and sonnets could be used for expressing love to someone. Haikus could be used for expressing a certain mood. Slam poetry could be used for addressing serious issues in an artistic way. Every song you listen to that has lyrics? That’s a poem! Depending on interpretation, even songs without lyrics could be considered poetry.

No matter what your style is, there is a type of poetry that would suit you. That’s what makes it such an impactful art form! And besides emotionally, poetry and poets have had such a powerful impact on our society as a whole. Throughout history, poetry has been incredibly influential on our society. William Shakespeare, who is famously commended for his tragedies and sonnets, himself has greatly influenced our society and the English language.

Whether or not students are annoyed with having to read through all of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare has impacted the way that everyone talks. Admirable. Dawn. Lonely. Dwindle. Hostile. Auspicious. Belongings. Break the ice. In a pickle. Fair play. What’s done is done. These are all words and phrases that Shakespeare invented! It is almost guaranteed that every student has used at least one of these words or phrases throughout their life, and there are even more that are in the dictionary because of Shakespeare and his poetry.

To celebrate poetry month, you can try writing a certain type of poem, like a haiku or sonnet. Students can get together and share poetry they’ve written or found somewhere else. You could even look for poems and poets that you really enjoy reading! Poets.org has an article titled National Poetry Month: 30 Ways to Celebrate National Poetry Month.

Poetry is such an overlooked art form, but going out and finding pieces that you love this April could be a cool experience. It might even inspire you to delve deeper into the world of poetry. You could even find an art form that you genuinely enjoy in poetry. So don’t wait! Celebrate National Poetry Month this April!