What is the purpose of poetry?

I would like to know what you think the purpose of poetry is - both in general and for your own writing. Any answers are welcome!


Tagging some of the esteemed poets of the society, but anyone is welcome to answer!
@Liminality @Hijinks @weathervane @Quillfeather @Plume @SilverNight @AilahEvelynMae @spottedpebble @starshipgirl @Rook @Spearmint @Lavvie @FireEyes @BluesClues @niteowl @Meshugenah @amelie @keystrings

I love this question!

I have always believed that the purpose of poetry is to represent something, the poet's feelings, beliefs, ideas, etc. about some kind of topic. It could be as simple as "love" or as specific as "this one street that I would drive by every day" since it's something that caught the eye of the poet, or their interest. However, I also know that poetry can be humorous and funny or even parody and mocking of another, so there are so many ways that poetry can be used or can represent.

For me, poetry is personal. It's very personal. I'll write in metaphors about other people, using various pronouns and descriptors, but it's usually related to me in some way; unless I'm writing a poem for someone else, or thinking specifically about another person and wanting to see the world from their perspective. Poetry is something fun for me, and something hard for me, for there are some words that I do not want to speak and so I must write them, whether I will ever read them or not, they exist, and I put them down so they would leave my head.

I also think that poetry simply is a uniting thing and its own kind of universal language that can be spread across the entire world.

oh yay i am so happy to be considered an "esteemed poet of the society"!
This will sound cliche, but I think one of the purposes of poetry is to express yourself. I know that a lot of people use it as an outlet or a way to say the things they couldn't quite say out loud or explain in a way that people would understand.
Another purpose of poetry is to provide people with potential insight to their own problems. I love reading poetry and I know that it has helped me understand a lot of things about myself and other people.
Yet another purpose of poetry is to help people appreciate the things around them. Ever since I read "A Minor Bird" by Robert Frost I have appreciated annoying birds more. I can't think of any more examples of this off the top of my head, but after I read a poem about anything-trees by the window, two separate paths in the woods, maps, birds, oceans, rivers, mountains-whatever it is-every time i see it, i think of that poem and how amazing everything is.
Anyways that's my two cents. Great question, alliyah!

I think it depends on the kind of poem you're reading or writing. Or really, the kind of poet.

A confessional poet is going to write what pertains to their personal life in order to express themself, gain clarity, get closure, etc.. A political poet is going to discuss some political view or advocate for it, and they're probably also going to think the purpose of poetry is for the good of society in some direct or indirect way. There are also some poets who write to ensure the continuity of some tradition they're really fond of or to sustain a living history that they care about. Etc.

Some people might be a mix of different kinds of poets. Or they are one kind of poet at one time and another kind at another.

In that sense, I don't think there is a general purpose of poetry that isn't also just a general purpose of writing or of communication.

As for my own writing currently, I've been using poetry as a means of exploration. And by exploration, I really mean something like (re)exploration: bringing language patterns to the surface that I hadn't noticed before, or finding new patterns in old details and images as I remix them into something new. I guess that would make me some kind of wordplay poet or image play poet (an Imagist?).

There also seems to be this aspect of challenge in poetry, in that it challenges my ability to make sense out of words and to interpret messages in them.

Personally, I struggle to add deeper meaning to both my prose and poetry--I just like to write about things with no apparent theme, and I let my readers find meaning in it

The difference for me is that prose, for the most part, has to have a plot. But sometimes I just want to ramble on about a disembodied concept or experience, and it simply won't work in prose form. That's where poetry comes in!

I'm honoured that you tagged me! I am humbled. 3)

To me, the purpose of poetry is to make people feel things. I want to write poems that tell stories, let people feel heard, share my emotions, (yell at people I can't yell at IRL ,) and capture the beauty of living. Poems should tell stories of hardships, glory, triumph, and loss. They should be about everything from that one time I saw an ant climbing a leaf to what some believe to be the meaning of life. Poetry serves to tell stories in new ways. Poetry is art in words. It connects people and shows that no one is in this alone. That this thing that is living is worth it. Every moment.

We've gotta consider the rhetorical situation of poetry!

The audience you're writing for can help inform your purpose. If you're reading your poem at the presidential inauguration, that's a very different audience and purpose than slam poetry.


But as for what all the different purposes are... well, there's lots!
To mark an occasion, to critique society, to celebrate language, to express an opinion, to make someone laugh, to play with words, to explore your emotions, to describe something difficult to describe, to illustrate an experience, to entertain, to learn your own thoughts, to tell a story, to record a history, to try something new, to examine a system, to display research accessibly, to interrogate power, to respond to art, to discover yourself, to touch the dreamers, to inspire action, to reach out with both hands to an often-uncaring world and hope that your audience reaches back.
There are more.

in my opinion, the purpose of poetry is vauge-- it is very VERY multi faceted in the way that:
poetry serves as a motion to create a vessel for one's emotion, to grieve, remember, or to enjoy.
poetry serves as a way to inspire. a way to call people forth to something you love.
poetry serves as a way to tell people about yourself, your ideas, your memories.
poetry serves also as a connection- poet & reader.

Poetry is a vessel for all the things we carry but can’t say out loud. It's an attempt to give weight and shape to feelings and moments that would otherwise slip through our fingers. It depends on the poet, of course, but there's an almost universal quality to poetry. It takes the fragments of who we are (our pain, our joy, our confusion, etc) and holds them still, even as the world moves on. That's the true beauty!!

there are so many purposes. probably too many to list.

poetry is special to me though because it has no barriers. you are free from basically any expectations. people aren't always going to appreciate it, but you can do it anyway. if you want some fUnKy capitalization, go for it! if you want to ditch commas and periods and whatnot, go for it! it doesn't matter at all, preferences aside.

but on a deeper level, i guess it's a way of self-expression? i use my writing to reclaim agency over emotions and experiences that overwhelm me. it's both a form of catharsis and reflection. i write as an act of reckoning. writing isn’t passive. it’s active and intentional, confrontational even. that's pretty much it.