The quiet power of poetry

Lulls Brook by Reeves Road in Hartland, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

Through nature’s stream of change, 

A settled peace holds sway.

The rest is fully arranged;

Renewal anchors the day.

That’s my poetic recognition of spring, reflecting the confident peace beneath the surface of the changing season. Using few words to say more is a cherished feature of poetry, and one of many reasons to celebrate this age-old art form. 

Today, we’re in the middle of National Poetry Month, and we’ve also arrived at the 25th anniversary of this national celebration. “Launched by the Academy of American Poets in April 1996, National Poetry Month reminds the public that poets have an integral role to play in our culture and that poetry matters,” states poets.org. 

It’s already been a big year for poetry, with National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman and her inspiring reading of her masterpiece, “The Hill We Climb,” at the presidential inauguration in January. The poem, now published in a book of the same title, reads in part: “Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true: That even as we grieved we grew, that even as we hurt we hoped, that even as we tired we tried, that we'll forever be tied together, victorious.” 

Poetry is painting with words, drawing from the vast palette of human feelings to touch our heartstrings, and move our minds. Each poem that encapsulates art with profound meaning is, in and of itself, a victory. It’s another proof that a great amount of beauty can live, and flourish, within the words of a poem. It can make a difference, by bringing out truth and giving hope like no other art form can. That's the gift it brings, and that’s the quiet power of poetry.

— Gareth Henderson