Poetry helps me understand who I am. It helps me understand the world around me. But above all, what poetry has taught me is the fact that I need to embrace mystery in order to be completely human.
Interpretation
Poetry is a means of self-discovery and understanding the complexities of life.
In this quote, Yusef Komunyakaa expresses the powerful role that poetry plays in both personal identity and comprehension of the world. He emphasizes that poetry not only aids in self-reflection but also encourages an appreciation for the mysteries of existence, suggesting that accepting these uncertainties is essential to being truly human.
In practice
In a literature class, discussing how poetry helps express emotions.
Students often have such a lofty idea of what a poem is, and I want them to realize that their own lives are where the poetry comes from. The most important things are to respect the language; to know the classical rules, even if only to break them; and to be prepared to edit, to revise, to shape.
It wasn't a deliberate decision to become a poet. It was something I found myself doing - and loving. Language became an addiction.
We have to embrace the good over the bad. That has to be one's personal project.
I originally wanted to embrace the imagery and forthrightness of rap music. There are some interesting, dynamic voices in rap. But I find most of it irresponsible in its overt violence and commercialization of anger. As artists, we believe we can will action through language. If that's the case, we have to take responsibility for what we say.
I'm uncomfortable with the focus on the poet and not on the poem.
Tonight I feel the stars are out_x000D_ to use me for target practice.
What a great poem teaches you - and it's not intellectual at all - is the resonance in the language that's heard there. This goes back to the very origins of poetry and to the very origins of language.
Anyone who understands Jazz knows that you can't understand it. It's too complicated. That's what's so simple about it.
I hate studio. For me, studio is a trap to overproduce and repeat yourself. It is a habit that leads to art pollution.
The poet enjoys the incomparable privilege of being able to be himself and others, as he wishes.
For me, music is always the language which permits one to converse with the Beyond.
The way someone who's being photographed presents himself to the camera, and the effect of the photographer's response on that presence, is what the making of a portrait is all about.
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