Poetry?

Poetry has always been something I have loved and been greatly intrigued by. Though at the same time, it is something I am very intimidated by. I think this is because I am scared of misinterpreting a poem and often times it feels like such an intimate/vulnerable work to read. Sometimes I feel like I am reading something too personal and intruding on private work. I would have no idea where to begin if I ever wrote poetry. Maybe one day I will attempt it, but as of now I think I will stick to reading it. 

As Devon mentioned, though I am an English major, I feel like I barely have time to read for pleasure anymore. All my time seems to be consumed with required readings, which sucks to be completely honest. I took a long break from poetry, but after hearing Safiya Sinclair read poems from her book Cannibal last spring, I fell in love with poetry all over again. I started re-reading Cannibal over break, and once again it blew my mind. Safiya Sinclair is also one of the coolest people I have ever encountered, she’s so well-spoken and her presence is just powerful. When she signed my book, I was so starstruck I just stood there awkwardly. Then, she asked me about my major and I forgot it, so as you can see I made a lovely first impression. I think one of the reasons (besides her mere incredibleness) I was so drawn to her is because I never read a Caribbean author before college. My family is from Trinidad and Tobago and I always wanted to read work by Caribbean authors, but I was never exposed to it and didn’t really know how to navigate finding Caribbean books. My high school was very rigid in terms of the books we read and it was mainly western books. I am not a fan of Shakespeare (at all). I think a huge problem with reading only western books is the mere fact that we aren’t being told enough stories. Part of the reason I read is to hear the stories of those around me and better understand them, however if I am only reading the same story or stories of only one race, it isn’t really beneficial to me. I am also being told to some extent that the stories of people of color are not important. Who determines what is important to read? How does one define importance? Is it just based on the chance that someone found the book and deemed it as being important? What about all the important books that haven't been discovered? I am sorry that was a bit tangential. Though I do think that is a huge problem with US high school curriculum that needs to be addressed. I think hearing Safiya Sinclair read poems about a place similar to once I called home resonated with me. I also think hearing stories about the struggles of people of color are important and so relevant. She talks about issues we don’t seem to talk enough about and tend to avoid because they make us feel uncomfortable. Every time I reread a poem of hers I find something new I love about it. There are so many layers to her poetry I have yet to discover.