Why Read a Poem at a Time Like This?

Why read a poem at a time like this?

I've just listened to Democracy Now, our morning independent news program led by one of my favorite and most trusted journalists, Amy Goodman. More women and children have been killed in Gaza. Genocide we barely hear about is going on in the Congo. Another airstrike has killed Ukrainian civilians near their homes. And quiet crises erupt on the streets of Sacramento where people are living in tents. Now I'm turning to the day's work which for me includes reading and reflecting with people on writing, often on poetry. It brings me back to a question I keep needing to pause and answer, because the answers matter:

WHY READ A POEM AT A TIME LIKE THIS?

Because sentences can’t say it all

Because metaphor matters

Because lines linger

Because lyric accommodates epiphany

Because poems teach you to listen more astutely

Because poems unmask euphemisms

Because poems teach negative capability

Because poetry is an antidote to propaganda

Because figures of speech reconfigure thought

Because poems are not about ideas

Because poems heal

Because poems connect the dots differently

Because Lear’s fool was a poet

Because poems move us toward music

Because prophecy leads to poetry

And poetry leads to prayer