Can poems help with poverty....

Many years ago I almost gave up on poetry. I was writing about the state of the world and was concerned about how poems just can not seem to do enough. They "lie lazily on the page." But then I remembered poems I learned as a child and their impact on my thoughts. I thought about experiences I have had with words that change my course of action and  I assumed other humans shared the same. 

Poems are words stringed together in an artistic manner, managing the layers of meaning that these words can portray. Words can be very ineffective. Maybe it is because they don't seem to offer consequences, like laws or physical violence. But they do have consequences, many of which may not be immediately seen. As  I said earlier words impact thoughts and thoughts impact actions. This is the realm within which poetry functions: to inform and inspire action. 

In a modern world where it seems the impact of the poet has been diluted, the facts are often not as apparent. The poet's costume may have changed but the poetry is still active and impactful in this era. One such manner is the impact that rap and hip-hop (which are poetry in action), have had on a number of generations of youth. They may not be considered classical poetic forms by many but this does not remove them from the poetic category. One may conclude that much of this impact is negative but this in no way negates the fact of poetry's impact on the world.

As I continue to create poems I am mindful that somewhere, another human will be touch by my flow of words and hopefully its impact will be positive.