Through the generations, poetry has been an integral part of every known society. It may not be in the form that we expect, with smooth complex combinations of consonants, verbs, and all the things that constitute every linguistic rule in language. Yes, this is poetry. The Nordic cultures and early English would encompass this aspect of poetry. The works of William Shakespeare use beautiful rhyme schemes that grasp the attention of listeners today.
Poetry is not short; the Japanese haikus are famous for their use of minimal words to create thought-provoking messages, enriched with philosophical meaning. Yet this is not poetry. The works of Paul Valery, when compared to modern-day literature, are a collection of short stories.
The term poetry itself has no singular definition. Poetry is in every single writing style and format. A deep knowledge of poetry unlocks many ways for people to express themselves, hence promoting good mental well-being. This is why poetry should be taught to children.
In the complex times we live in, where the concept of childhood can be considered at risk, with the pressures that children face in a world overflowing with content, influencers, ideologies, and news from around the world, all of these can be overwhelming, which is shown with the rise of clinical disorders in children rising.
Overall, social media and the ease with which information can spread is a very good thing, but in the hands of developing children, it causes difficulties, as there is so much information and little time to process and learn from them. In this space is where poetry lies.
Poetry can be an emotional mirror that children can use to grow and develop their self-identity. As said before, poetry comes in many forms. There are the traditional forms of poetry taught in English classes, but there is also music. Music lyrics are just another medium in which poetry lives.
Poetry has great power. It can simplify the most complex of feelings and break them down into the parts that matter. With those parts, we can analyze and gain a deeper understanding of what each part means to the individual. In the act of doing so, the torrent of information that children face every day can be managed, allowing children to just be children, to play and be carefree.
No matter how it shows itself, whether in the form of journaling, music writing, dialogue in children's shows, novels/short stories, or the traditional poetry style, poetry will always have an overall benefit in the lives of children.
Who knows, in hundreds of years' time, historians will be discovering our poetry filled with the difficulties we faced and comparing it to theirs, just like we do now with old music, stories, and more.
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