I have always been a lover of poetry. I was first introduced to it in elementary school. I’m sure many of us can recall the Shel Silverstein and Dr. Suess reading that filled our classrooms. I distinctly remember having to learn and recite Edward Lear’s “The Owl and The Pussy-Cat” with my third grade class. While my peers may have lost interest in this poem as new assignments emerged, it marked the beginning of a lasting passion for eight-year-old me.
The next significant encounter I had with poetry was through the works of William Shakespear. This expanded my understanding of what poetry is. Now I got to hear the romantic analogies in “Romeo and Juliet” that even made my elementary mind swoon in imagination. I started to understand poetry went further than rhymes and whimsical tales of owls and cats; it could be tragic, loving, and heart wrenching.
Fast forward to high school and my third favorite genre entered the picture. At that time, I was gaining a deeper understanding of my personal and public identity as I was beginning to confront microaggressions and discrimination. When my english teacher introduced the class to Ntozake Shange’s “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf” I immediately fell in love with the words carefully configured. This became my new poetry obsession, as I finally found someone who could beautifully articulate the unique and sometimes lonely experiences I have had. Now I was ready to write my own poetry. I had discovered my writing style through the combination of three poem genres. “The Owl and The Pussy-Cat” is considered a nonsense poem. “Romeo and Juliet” although considered a play it perfectly displays William Shakespear usage of the traditional Romantic poetic writing style. “For Colored Girls…” became my first introduction to political poetry. Ntozake Shange speaks about a specific experience very unique to those included in the oppressed group of the main characters. In the usual case of her writing, she focuses on the experience of Black Women.
Fig 1. Book cover for Dr. Seuss’s “Oh the Places You’ll Go!” poetry book published in 1990.
So let’s start with our first genre; nonsense poetry. Nonsense poetry is playful and unserious. It uses both made up and even misused words and phrases to invite the reader into an imaginary world. This type of poetry is not realistic nor based in reality. Usually it’s completely devoid of what we as humans define as common sense. However a misconception about this type of poetry is that it is defined as being soullessly silly and takes no skill to create. Nonsense poetry is not something quickly scribbled up by a young kid who misuses words out of sheer lack of knowledge. In order for a nonsense poem to be placed in this category it has to have the element of storytelling present. This includes creating clever plays on both real and made-up words and languages. Another element that is common but not required is the presence of Anthropomorphism. Anthropomorphism is when the writer assigns human-like qualities to animals. Nonsense poems are kind of like fever dreams. A fever dream refers to a very realistic feeling dream with whimsical undertones that don't follow the rules of reality. For example, a dream in which you meet a talking dog and go on a journey together through a town called “Neapolitan Ville” made entirely of ice cream. The talking dog represents a perfect example of anthropomorphism and the name of the fantasy town is a play on words as it is named after a flavor of ice cream. The first poet that comes to mind for me when I think of nonsense poetry is Shel Silverstein. Silverstein is well known for his poetry book titled “Where the SideWalk Ends” which contains a collection of nonsense poems that have no particular theme or order. Silverstein is a master at using wordplay in his poems. He often uses familiar phrases and words in a way that is unfamiliar.
Fig 2. Poetry cover photo for poem “Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too” from Shel Silverstein's “Where the SideWalk Ends” 1974.
For example, his poem “Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me Too” uses nursery-like rhyme phrases as names for the three characters.
“ Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too /Went for a ride in a flying shoe/ ‘Hooray’ / ‘What fun’ / ‘It's time we flew’ /Said Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me too”
The three characters; Ickle Me, Pickle Me, & Tickle Me too, are described to be taking a ride in a “flying shoe”. We know that shoes don’t fly and aren’t usually rode in. But in this poem, this is a world where flying shoes exist.
Fig 3. The Victorian Life
Romantic poetry is a genre of poetry that focuses on emotions, appreciation of nature, and usually contains themes of passion and love. Romantic poetry became a thing during the Romanticism movement in the late 18th and early 19th century. Romantic poetry is not defined by rationalism and logic. Although the emotions and situations provided within the poetry can be realistic and not fantastical. The rejection of rationalism is shown through a complex display of emotions that lead the poem. The main theme of the poem could be entirely based on heightened and dramatic emotional responses to any living stimulus. Some characteristics of Romantic poetry include using nature as a way to express emotions. For example, in John Keats poem “Ode to a Nightingale” mentions nature very subtly throughout.
“Away! Away! For I will fly to thee/ Not charioted by Bacchus and his pards, / But on the viewless wings of Poesy,” /
The mention of flying makes the average reader wonder, is he the Nightingale? The title itself references the Nightingale bird, known for the beautiful song it sings. Keats beautifully blurs the lines separating man from nature. Romantic poetry is like watching dusk swallow the day after having a wonderful and fun afternoon. The love and taste of day still lingering on your tongue, but the gray and blue nostalgia of the night creeping in with every star that begins to appear.
Fig 4. Pictures Ntozoke Shange
Political poetry is a genre of writing that uses poetry to invoke deep thought and raise awareness to various social and political issues. Unlike other genres of poetry, Political poetry does not aim to please its reader. Political poetry is not one-dimensional or conversationally pleasant. It is more a tool, used to connect readers with an oppressed group's point of view. Political poetry has existed dating back to 65 BC with Roman poet Horace. Every poem has a motive, whether that be validation, awareness, or even persuasion. Some are based on personal experiences, while others use historical events as inspiration for newly configured stories. These poems utilize vivid imagery, symbolism, and metaphors to bring the reader into the lives of those in compromising positions. Metaphors are the most commonly used tropes I've noticed used in Political poetry. For example, Ntozoke Shange uses metaphors in her poem “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf” to introduce the readers to the start of the poem / play.
“somebody / anybody / sing a black girls song / bring her out / to know herself / to know you / but sing her rhythms / carin / struggle / hard times / sing her song of life / she's been dead so long / closed in silence so long / he doesn’t know the sound / of her own voice / her infinite beauty”
Fig 5. A still from a live production of “For Colored Girls..” by Ntozoke Shange performed by Broadway, Booth Theatre in 1976
Shange’s usage of the word “dead” and “silence” in this quote from the poem are meant to represent isolation and rejection. This is meant to make the reader empathize with the oppressed group being discussed which in this case is Black Girls / Women. Ntozake is an African-American female poet most known for various works of political poetry centering around racism and the experiences of Black women. Another one of my favorite political poets is Rupi Kaur. Kaur is best known for her book “Milk and Honey” where she sheds light on the experiences of womanhood, femininity, love, and abuse. Like Shange, Kaur uses stories about experiences either inspired by her own or other women's lives to invoke deep thought in the reader. Political poetry is like a mirror, showing us the sides of our society that are hard to look at. Exposing the unpleasant realities and imperfections on life's face.
There you have it, my top three genres of poetry and arguably the three pillars in a modern day literature lover's journey through poetry. Each genre shows the diversity of poetry as a whole. We started at Nonsense Poetry, which is generally a child's first introduction to poetry. As good as it is a first stepping stone into understanding what it means to be a poem and the joy in word play, it has also inspired people of all ages and walks of life. Poets like Dr. Seuss have made Nonsense Poems that have lived on to be high school senior yearbook quotes and famously repeated in the media. “Oh the places you’ll go” has a pinterest board dedicated to graduation caps using the famous quote from Dr Seuss’s poem. Next we pondered on Romantic Poetry, the soap opera of poetry but also, arguably the most famous form of poetry. Admit it, when we hear that someone writes poetry our minds immediately wonder if it's romantic. That’s because Romantic Poetry focuses on the most universal experience; to love, and to want to be loved. Romantic Poetry has gone on to inspire songwriters for generations and playwrights as well. Lastly we discussed Political Poetry, which to me is the most important utilized form of poetry we have in current times. Political poetry is less of a hobby and more of a tool. A tool that is meant to invoke and inspire real changes to our society. Now what happens when you combine these three genres of poetry? You get me, a young black woman born in the inner city of Oakland CA. A girl who snuck and read Shel Silerstein when I was afraid at night to imagine myself in flying shoes and worlds where sidewalks ended. A girl who begged to play Juliet in 5th grade because the way Shakespear wrote about love made me dream about my future wedding and the boy who sat in front of me with the cute ears. A girl who was introduced to Ntozake Shange at a time where my skin felt more like a curse than my own blessing. For me, these genres were my heroes, my friends, and my teachers. These three genres are the pillars of artistic poetry and when combined can create what we call “gen z” modern day poetry. Or the future of literature.
Works Cited
“Milk and Honey (Poetry Collection).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Sept. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk_and_Honey_(poetry_collection).
“For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf Quotes.” The 20 Best For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf Quotes, bookroo.com/quotes/for-colored-girls-who-have-considered-suicide-when-the-rainbow-is-enuf. Accessed 4 Dec. 2023.
Reese, Patricia. “Romanticism Literature | Definition, Characteristics & Examples.” Study.Com, study.com/academy/lesson/romanticism-in-literature-definition-characteristics.html. Accessed 4 Dec. 2023.