Poetry in a Nation's DNA

My mind started roving from the time it became public knowledge that President-elect, Barack Obama has tapped Elizabeth Alexander, a young American poet to read a poem at his inauguration on January 20, 2009. Incidentally, his inauguration is one day ahead of our celebration for one of our national heroes, Errol Walton Barrow, the Father of Barbados Independence. I found myself unable to put a cloud over this idea that has flooded my mind. The idea formulated took shape in these self-inflicted questions: Why is poetry of importance to any nation? Why is poetry constantly evolving? How nations promote poetry?

These are overwhelming questions if I may say so myself. In recognizing such, I said to myself, I've got to place limitations here if I'm to explore answers to the afore-mentioned questions. Also, I have this passion that compels me to share my thoughts for I believe that when something keeps nagging the mind, you should talk about it, the perfect stress reliever. In placing limitations on the matter at hand my thoughts zeroed in on poetry from a macro perspective instead of at a micro level which would draw attention to the poetry of individual poets per se, and that's not my intent. Now, please lend me your ears as I voice my thoughts on how I see poetry's impact on a nation any nation as a whole, but with constant reference back and fro to the nation of Barbados, my homeland.

So many times I've heard from folks with whom I have had the distinct pleasure to interact with say to me, "I'm not into poetry." How very wrong can they be. If you stop to thing about it, all of us live and breathe poetry. Some consciously and others not so consciously. How can we not be in to poetry when in a Christian society like Barbados, the Bible is the Great Book we love so very much. In the Bible it gives us a plethora of this art form we call poetry. Then to boot, some will write it; some will sing it, for when music is put to poetry it becomes a song or hymn; some will perform it, for when poetry is dramatized it becomes a play; some will teach it; some will critique it, and when the chips are down we as a nation embrace poetry. Why on earth then does the poetry of Barbadian poets of yesteryear and now is edged in our minds? Why too do Barbadians seek out poetry to fill programmes for community activities whether at governmental level or simply a gathering of locals in their village setting? Have you ever stop to think about it?

So, if one's preference is to write in a linear fashion of which prose is essentially that, what happens when the inner-self, the soul yearns to break free. Will prose take up the challenge? I doubt very much that it will. On the other hand, poetry is well poised to rise to the occasion in many ways imaginable. In order for prose to even come close and rub shoulders with poetry there must be some sort of amalgamation of the tools of poetry. Great speeches by Martin Luther King, President-elect, Obama, Winston Churchill, President John F. Kennedy and our very own, Errol Walton Barrow, just to mention a few, applied poetic techniques in their oratories and that's why their public speaking became so great. Their speeches became effective because they applied the techniques of the poet with respect to writing words in a metrical fashion that gave way to cadences, made use of alliteration and assonance and internal rhymes in ways that gave their words more force and made them more memorable. They placed emphasis on correct breathing and enunciation and writing in order to write persuasive and memorable prose. Speech writers apply these poetic techniques with great success as well.

Why is poetry of importance to a nation?

Poetry celebrates the sensuality of language, and words, of their sounds and their textures on the tongue, not merely their meaning. In poetry there is something for every one. Governmental agencies know this because poetry comes in many flavours that can boost the economy of the nation. Poetry plays a significant role in sustaining and creating jobs in cultural industries. The field for doing so is wide and diverse. For we have got populist poetry, performance poetry, lyrical poetry, dramatic poetry, didactic poetry, romantic poetry, dark poetry, visualized poetry, epic poetry, prose poetry, classical poetry, urban poetry, cowboy poetry, unstructured poetry, idyll poetry, inspirational poetry. Within all these listings are to be found a plethora of genres and styles. All the various kinds of poetry tap the creative imagination of the nations' people and cross over or blend the various socio-cultural and religious groups that make up the nation.

The literary tradition of nations comes through its poetry. The historical ramifications cannot be overlooked. It gives prominence to historical representation of what previous generations found beautiful, important or profound. Nations use poetry to incite, excite, placate or pacify people . Again, this underscores the point why leaders of nations inject poetry into their public utterances. The fact that poetry has several caveats, it draws in all kinds of people for it has the wherewithal to distill stories and emotions down to few crystalline words when seen or read.

When we think of it, a nation's pulse and heartbeat is felt through the poetry of its people. People's observations, opinions and even their trend of thoughts are seen through their poetry. Poetry allows them to give prominence out of the ephemeral, by the words they have written down. Let's face it, the nation's people cannot be described as monolithic and the various moods and fashions in poetry complement this fact. A nation's poetry allows its people to think outside the box, thus unlocking the door for further knowledge. In other words, the knowledge to take something simple and make one think deeper by bringing out the various shades of meaning. The juxtaposition of meter, rhyme, rhythm and meaning, both denotations and connotations, add more to the understanding and feeling than can be accomplished in ordinary prose.

Then too, there is the cultural transfer from generation to generation afforded a nation through its poetry. This in itself helps to enhance the learning capacity of a nation's people. Another important aspect worth mentioning is this: a nation brings recognition to its poetry by its acceptance of non-lexicalized vernacular with the propensity to drive the inner-soul so understanding of it is reached. How can I not but reiterate that a nation's poetry is important because it lifts the life of its people. It reflects who we are as a nation. How is that? Because it gives its people the tools to craft words with no restrictions on how poets or aspiring poets go about this creative process.

On this I'm not done yet. I've got to say as well that poetry allows the nation's people to communicate at multiple levels: symbolically, verbally, emotionally. It provides them with sound-bytes of literature, yet convey a great deal of information in a compact unit.

Let's face this realization that people of any nation process a sweet tooth and poetry is part of this sweet tooth too. Why you asked! Because it is motivated by the emotion more so than reason. Poetry connects people emotionally. We are moved by the aesthetic in the advertisement of a product rather than by the product per se. In short, poetry is purposeful engagement in the aesthetic which is important because it is powerful.

When a nation is overwhelmed by any sort of emotional outcry, and 9/11 just jumped out at me, or when a nation's passion, grief, or intense joy disturb the settled way of its people's lives, and there are many such instances that cause the nation's equilibrium to go imbalance. What happens to the nation? When such is the case, what happens emotions are laid bare? We turn to poetry--our own or other people's. We look for words to give voice to what cries out from within our souls. Through poetic words we rebuild our disrupted sense of who we are as a nation in order to accommodate a new understanding. Poetry gives us the tools to memorize and remember.

Why is a nation's poetry constantly evolving?

Language as we know it is never static. It is constantly evolving through processes that may tend to defy our imagination. This truism is aptly applied to poetry because poetry is the emotive side of language and has demonstrated the capacity to respond to an ever changing environment. The environment, and Barbados is no exception, has a multiplicity of cultural traditions. This multifaceted environment breeds societal changes which enable people to share and enjoy many and carry contributions to this creative art form. Today, poetry as a more open field for I see the many signs that have given rise to this versatility in poetry. As a matter of fact, poets are blending approaches and techniques from both the experimental and conventional repertoires. I tend to believe that poets are aware of the diverse preferences their audience brings to the poetic platform. Hence, this is a reasonable position to take that poetic forms and genres are constantly evolving.

Poetry is as old as the hills and modern technology is propelling the manner in which this literary creative art form is being assembled, promoted and delivered in any nation that holds true to poetry. The fusion of multimedia tools in poetry is driving this evolving process in poetry at an unprecedented rate. Why? For starters, the audience is no longer seen as the passive-listener to the muse but becomes active participants. The philosophy of constructivism as impacted the poetic world too. More people across nations I dare say are increasingly being drawn to poetry. I say this from my cursory analysis of what I see daily on poetry websites that span the globe. We can only give credit to the evolving nature of this amazing art form, we call poetry.

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Poetry and the Entrepreneur

What are the commonalities between poetry and the entrepreneur? No doubt, the initial response to this question may well be that if there are any, the commonalities are not worth mentioning. Such a nonchalant reaction could be the result of a conditioned mind set into thinking that business is about the profit motive and the myriads of ways to do so. Whereas, poetry is an emotional avalanche and more than not, creates the abstract side of the world. In saying this, think of the many emerging poets who say that they write from the heart thus giving credence to the aforementioned statement. Some folks are also led falsely into thinking that poetry deals strictly with emotions whether real or surreal and not the bottom line in business.

However, I share a different perspective on the issue at hand as you continue to stay with me on this matter. As a person engrossed deeply in the poetic world, it is with surety to say that there is a fair amount of poetry-driven businesses around. Poems range from the whimsical about business and an explosion of poems found in advertisements. During my career life in academia, poetry became part of the learning tool in the interdisciplinary teaching lessons. Such great blessings flowed from students to students and from students to teacher and vice versa. Now that I have become an educator emeritus, poetry both structured and unstructured remains my passion. The added pleasure is the ability to write in many forms and styles. The entire environment is my daily muse and not once has there been a writer’s block that many poets of the day seem to be experiencing. The commonalities between the entrepreneurial spirit and poetry are there, weilding much importance. Essentially they are creators.The entrepreneurs, like poets invent new ways to connect people, ideas and organizations. Entrepreneurs and poets make great strides on intuitive behaviour. They create meaning where it didn’t seem to exist, with their head, heart and hands to the plough, as it were. They communicate this to their audience. They make the vision real, so to speak. No apologies required therefore, in saying that starting up a business equates with writing a poem. Poetry is like NISE (National Initiative on Service Excellence) for improving business writing. The rules for good poetry writing are applicable to good business prose as verse. These two communication devices must rely on good content, be concise, be organized and must have style. Go into any established business entity and tour the various offices and you are bound to come across types of poems hanging from the walls or being perched on the work station serving as motivators for those who read them.

Poetry is invigorating in so many ways. Perhaps because of this, it is not unusual to find a significant portion of business persons delving into poetry either as readers, writers or reviewers. No doubt, they will say that poetry helps them to maintain equilibrium as they sort through challenges which come with the daily activities of business. The paradigm shift that is sweeping the 21st Century commercial world at unprecedented haste is engendering greater creativity in the life of the working masses. The organizational structures are increasingly relying on the input not only from management but from non-managerial employees to the lowest level. The organization is as strong as its weakest link so everybody’s input is a source of organizational strength, growth and wealth. Thus, the acknowledgement of input from all levels of the organization is a means of helping employees to overcome habitual fear and reticence of expressing themselves through nurturing the “soul” within the enterprise. This nurturing of the “soul” is developed through dramatic groups and poetry writing as a way to express deeper emotions.

The goal of contemporary business leaders worth their salt is not hooked solely on the profit motive (the bottom line) but as a matter of grave concern, the provision for new avenues to look at life in business whereby helping employees find greater satisfaction. In saying this, the collaboration is seen in the many poetic statements that have found their way into the organizations’ mottoes, slogans and mission statements. You can believe this as well, poetry has become the blood of any nation’s cultural milieu. Check out the national cultural foundations of your country and tell me this is not so, my challenge to you. The next point worth mentioning in this discourse is how businesses use poetry in advertising their products.

Advertising is a method whereby consumers are made aware of the various product lines on sale. Poetry and sound lyrics are increasingly being used to draw the public in with the goal of getting the public to see the goodness of their product lines and purchase them. If this were not the case, why do we see and hear advertisements laced with poetic utterances. The jingle is at best and example of this. So what is a jingle?

A jingle is usually an unbridled pleasant sounding verse flowing with catchy words and phrases with lots of rhymes and rhythm that somehow stay in the mind for a very long time. Its rhythm is captivating as a result of the alliterative nature of the sounds. Most people tend to label a jingle as nonsensical but it really does drive advertising in a sort of hypnotic way. Just think about the many jingles you hear, so there must be some profitable inducement worth pursuing.

If I may say so myself, I think that the poem, "The Nest" could very well serve as an advertisement for bloggers of poetry with google accounts. It has five stanzas with a rhyme scheme aabbb and each verse is made up of six syllables. A closer examination at the stanzaic lines reveals that they are Trimeter verses.

A trimeter is a line of verse consisting of three metrical feet or three Dipodies.

A Dipody is a double foot; a unit of two feet.

©Paterika Hengreaves
December 2008/Barbados