Dec 15 2008
On the Company of Poetry
You will never be alone with a poet in your pocket.
John Adams
What a poetic way of John Adams to give his thoughts on the value of poetry! This comment is from a letter Adams wrote to his son.
The enjoyment of poetry by the masses has diminished. There was a time not so long ago when major magazines had poetry columns or whole pages devoted to the form. Just a generation ago, certain poems were usual fare for elementary, junior high and high school students. Memorizing a poem at a young age, brings the joy of reciting it for a fresh audience years later.
There are times when a book or newspaper, or even an iPod just won’t do the trick. Perhaps those are the times Adams refers to. We need only to reach in our pocket and find some familiar verse to keep us company.
