By Maisha Hasan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
As I listen to my friends sprinkle “Pookie” into conversation like a modern-day sonnet, I can’t help but wonder: Is this what poetry has become in the 21st century? Sonnets, once prose dipped in honey, now seem to have dissolved into emojis and cutesy nicknames. Has poetry lost its shine, its luster, in our era of abbreviations and TikTok trends?
Of course, I am not hoping my friends write me poems proclaiming my beauty and intellect each morning (although I wouldn’t mind it). Still, in contrast to a century ago, or even thirty years ago, our language and poetry have been reduced to abbreviations and line breaks. Has poetry lost its shine and luster, turned into jargon being spoon-fed to the masses? With the welcoming of niche groups all over social media platforms, including groups for the more literary-minded amongst us (search for “BookTok,” for example), anything and everything is out there. However, despite that, it seems people have only further diluted the meaning of poetry and art for cheap and quick views.
This brings me back to the question: is poetry alive, especially within young people? Or does our Rilke lie within TikTok slideshows? With little to no encouragement in public schools toward careers in the arts, many are left to find their interest in poetry piqued within the confines of TikTok.
To explore this question further, I turned to young creatives who are redefining what poetry means today. First up, Roswitha Bwanga, who was the second-place winner of the Allyship Poetry Contest. They have been completing their studies in visual and creative arts at Sheridan College. They explore many fields of artistry, dabbling in poetry.
In order to maintain clarity and flow, the following interview has been lightly edited.
How did your interest in poetry emerge?
I started writing poetry when I was 15, at first just to appreciate things I saw in nature. A beautiful sunrise, or a pleasant sunny day, I just wanted to write about things I would see. Then I went through a brief phase of thinking poetry was cringe-worthy, and I stopped writing altogether. But soon my life went through a lot of changes: I went to university, I learned more about the world and I realized how stressed I felt most of the time. While it was a rough time to go through, that’s how I rediscovered poetry. Writing poems became a way to get rid of all the negativity that was always holding me down, and I’ve continued to write ever since.
Was there any specific poem that shaped your own life, inspiring you to write? If so, what in particular stood out?
I’ve only recently started to read other poems. Before then, I never really read any classical, or contemporary poetry. Essentially, there has not been a specific poem that inspired me to write, rather it was the need to process emotions that became the motivation for me to write.
As a writer, how have you adapted methods of the classics and applied them to modern pieces?
I’ve never paid much attention to classical poetry methods when I originally started writing, but now I’m interested in learning about rhyming schemes and different meters. I think free verse style poetry is the most appealing to contemporary poets because there is no ideal to follow. While studying how other people approach poetry is interesting, I think poets, especially young poets just starting to write, should just write how they feel. Writing without restrictions will help you get your words out.
Do you think most teenagers are capable of connecting to poetry today?
This is a huge question because I think there is a multitude of factors that differ for each individual, which influences whether a person connects with poetry or not, but on the surface, I think most teenagers today think of poetry as outdated, boring, or cringey. While part of the problem lies in the way many teens might associate poetry with Shakespeare, an unpleasant English course, or school in general, I believe an inability to discuss and deal with feelings is another big reason for the disconnect between youths and poetry. It’s unfortunate because, in my opinion, many teens could benefit from writing poetry, so I really wish there was a way to get more of them engaged with writing. Even something small, like including more diverse and contemporary perspectives about poetry in school might help change their perception.
After speaking with Bwanga, it seems that the key issue might not be whether teens have an innate interest in poetry, but whether they are provided with the resources to explore it. While factors like literacy rates and a focus on STEM subjects in schools play a role, the way poetry is approached within the English curriculum in Ontario’s schools also significantly influences students’ engagement with it.
The only way we can expect our generation to produce poetry is to push avenues toward pursuing poetry and reading modern poetry. The curriculum pushes Shakesphere under the guise we can always learn from the past, which isn’t wrong, but rarely are students ever given opportunities to be pushed towards poetry that reflects their own lives today, leaving disinterested minds in and out of the classroom.
This also becomes a discussion, then, on the value of art, and the value of learning art; while it is easy to find articles online that support teaching arts and crafts in early childhood, with benefits ranging from development of fine motor skills to overall growth and wellbeing, you need to dig a bit deeper see the benefits for older students. But find it you can: a study from earlier this year, for example, reported better problem-solving and cognitive flexibility in arts-educated students. Creativity, in other words.
If we understand and buy into the argument for teaching the arts to young people, we should also be concerned with offering material that speaks to young people, material that they can connect with and may spur on their own artistic journeys. However, those who seem to be interested aren’t exactly uplifted in their environments to pursue poetry. Shakespeare does give lessons in how the magic of language changes over time, but when was the last time a teenager found inspiration for their Instagram caption in iambic pentameter?
I discussed the twisted discourse with Patricia Zhang, a young creative who resides in Toronto — considered by many as the epicentre of arts and culture in the surround sound of placid Ontario. Her work consists of photography, capturing her own stylistic shots as well as portraits for smaller magazines. Although it isn’t necessarily poetry, Zhang can speak for being a young creative who pursued the arts on her own.
What type of art do you do? Have you tried poetry?
I do photography and writing — I have tried poetry but am not great at it, I prefer prose.
Has your school encouraged you to explore other artistic pursuits, perhaps in the form of extracurriculars or via a range of courses on offer?
Since I don’t go to an art school I can’t really speak on this — but I think the school I go to does have a lot of opportunities for art and I’ve participated in our school-wide art show in photography and won first. We also have a really amazing photography and art department overall.
Is there a desire in teenagers to dabble in art and poetry? Is it a lack of interest or support?
There is a desire in teens to dabble in art and poetry. I think that a lot of the time, it seems really scary or impossible to get published — and that deters a lot of young artists. I think there is a lot of interest for these young voices in art, but for support, I would definitely say for things such as writing and art it would be great if young artists could have a way to access a larger network of people who can help them get published since it looks super daunting at first sight. The art culture in Toronto specifically is really beautiful, though, and so, so, so welcoming to emerging artists.
Zhang seems to be in the lucky majority, residing in Toronto where art runs around like the debris of construction. But she does offer more evidence that teens are willing and able to write poetry, they just lack access to the tools needed.
Networks that offer connections and provide examples of what a successful working artist (in whatever medium) looks like in today’s world might encourage more young creatives to enter into that space. Representation is, as ever, another essential piece — seeing successful, working artists of colour can only expand minds and possibilities.
It is up to you to decide whether or not poetry is still alive. The exploration of poetry’s relevance today is far from settled, but I can’t dictate what poetry means to you. Though I may trash it, people are fleeing to TikTok and other social media apps to access their dose of poetry. Does this type of poetry, that great tweet, a J. Cole song, or a surprisingly inspiring real-estate slogan, make the medium less valuable — or simply more accessible? Language, after all, is an ever-morphing tool that will carry new turns of phrase to new generations. And social media, like it or not, is where young people congregate today, so if socials manage to engage teenagers in poetry and other art forms that they may not otherwise see, this surely is a positive.
It’s up to us to decide whether we see poetry as something to be left in the past or as a powerful catalyst for creativity and progress — a medium that not only evolves with each generation but also propels us forward, shaping how we express, connect, and grow as individuals and as a society. Maybe poetry is now tucked inside the emojis we send, the lyrics we hum, and the TikTok slideshows we scroll past. Like sunlight through curtains, it sneaks in, whether we notice it or not.
