my thoughts on poetry over time

     My first (or what I thought was my first) introduction to poetry was through the early years of elementary school in the American school system. It taught me a very specific concept of what poetry is and that affected how I've enjoyed it over time. From what I remember learning, it was taught as a sort of method for writing short-form pieces that portray a story or evoke emotion. Later on, it was thought to be boring or even silly to engage in poetry. For me, it might have had something to do with English poetry books that are made for kids. I considered poetry to be a unit in all of my English classes because I didn't see it in the larger context that it exists in. Now, I think I was wrong to think those things and I may never have fully believed that in the first place.

     I didn't realize I was consuming poetry all my life outside of school- my resistance to it came from trying to compare it to my understanding of English as an academic subject rather than a vessel for understanding. I grew up speaking Urdu at home and listening to it even more. Only recently have I begun to listen to old Urdu folk songs, understanding recitations of the Holy Quran which contains verses that are purposefully poetic, and spiritual Urdu poem/songs. These pieces are not 100% understandable to be without translation but I find great value in that space of being lost in meaning. Straining to grasp a more subjective understanding of each word and changing my headspace to immerse in the beauty of the writing and delivery that and English translation could never emulate. 

English poetry can certainly be profound and wonderful to read and listen to but there is something different about the cadence of my home languages and their foundational words that send waves of emotion through my mind. Poetry is one of the main things encouraging me to keep learning Urdu and begin learning old Arabic.