199. Poems Are Possibilities

A poem reveals something about our experience that we might not otherwise notice. It does so by using language in a way that forces us out of the ordinary world and into another realm that we cannot fully grasp. It expands our library of meanings and helps us see that there is more to life than we might have thought.

The language of the poem magically lifts us out of language and into the heart of being. The impact of this cannot be fully described. But something does happen, and we are moved by each and every poem that captures our attention. We see something new, and when we see it, we become something new, as well. We might not perceive this change immediately, as it might take time to emerge, but it happens nonetheless.

Poetry, in this way, shapes us into more aware and compassionate beings. But its ability to do so can be impeded. It can be impeded by the poet if they use language that is too obscure, too insular, or too far outside the scope of our present understanding. Such language makes it difficult for us to experience the poem’s full effect and undergo the transformation the poet is offering us.

More often though, it’s the reader who impedes the power of the poem. We do this when we fail to give it sufficient attention, when we read carelessly or hastily, or when we allow our judgments to dominate. To judge a poem prematurely is harmful because it blocks us from experiencing its possibilities. It locks us into one particular meaning when there are always others to explore.

Every poem is possibility more than anything else. Like any artwork, it helps us expand the scope of seeing and imagining, it helps us go beyond what we already know and are. It is precisely this transformation, this transcendence, that makes us more aware and more capable of seeing all that it is and can be to exist as a human being.