Poetry is not easy. Or should I say, real poetry is not easy.
Robert PinskyRead
For a lot of people, well-meaning teaching has made poetry seem arcane, difficult, a kind of brown-knotting medicine that might be good for you but doesn't taste so good. So I tried to make a collection of poetry that would be fun. And that would bring out poetry as an art, rather than the challenge to say smart things.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the idea that poetry should be enjoyable and accessible, rather than daunting and complex.
In this quote, Robert Pinsky addresses the common misconception that poetry is an esoteric and challenging form of expression, suggesting that the traditional approach to teaching poetry often makes it seem uncomfortable and unappealing to many. He advocates for a collection of poetry that is enjoyable and fun, highlighting that poetry should be celebrated as an art form meant to be appreciated and enjoyed rather than merely a test of intellectualism or complexity.
Themes
PoetryArtEnjoymentExpressionEducation
In practice
Example use cases
In a workshop on creative writing, I might use this quote to encourage students to explore poetry without fear.
More from Robert Pinsky
All quotes →The medium of poetry is a human body: the column of air inside the chest, shaped into signifying sounds in the larynx and the mouth. In this sense, poetry is just as physical or bodily an art as dancing.
Robert PinskyRead
Poetry is the most bodily of the arts.
Robert PinskyRead
Sometimes the ideas that mean the most to you will feel true long before you can quite formulate them or justify them.
Robert PinskyRead
New Jersey is the most poetic state: close enough to New York to be urban and cosmopolitan, far enough to be desirous and unsure; densely populated, but full of farms and woods, with the most deer of any state.
Robert PinskyRead
'Write' is almost the wrong verb for what I do. I think 'compose' is more accurate because you're trying to make the sounds in your mind and in your voice. So I compose while I'm driving or in the shower.
Robert PinskyRead
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