Every day, I read a poem from Poem-a-Day. The poems arrive in my email inbox courtesy of the good people at Poets.org. It inspires me. It gets me out of my own head, and makes me feel connected to another person through their words. Poetry helps me see my life, and life in general, differently. To me poetry is cosmic, spiritual, and very human. It can take the mundane and lift it up to a higher spiritual plane. At the same time it’s very sensual – through description and sound and rhythm.

Poetry creates a space for me to be more contemplative, whether I’m reading or writing it. I’m at a time in my life where I feel like there is so much to do, and I’m constantly on the go. I read a poem and I feel both grounded and uplifted.

Poetry still has a reputation for being “high-brow.” And based on some of the poems I’ve read lately, I can see why that is. A lot of poems I read leave me scratching my head. Not all of them, but a lot. Some of the poems I like anyway. Even if I don’t feel like I “get it” there might be a quality that comes across – mysterious or playful or even heartbreaking – that I feel like I can relate to on a visceral level.

I belong to a poets group called “The Paper Birch Poets.” We get together once a month to read and critique poems we’ve written. I always look forward to it. It’s so wonderful to get together with a group of people (in this case, we’re all women) who are so dedicated to poetry. In spite of the critiquing, we’re a very supportive group. Everybody writes so differently, too. It’s fun to notice how each woman has her own voice.

But one topic of disagreement among us is whether or not the poems have to be clear in their meaning. For some in the group, it bothers them if the poem leaves them questioning in some way. Sometimes I like being ambiguous. When a word or a phrase has multiple meanings, the reader has to put themselves into the poem and decide what it means to them. The words become a doorway to their own imagination.

Modern music is a form of poetry. And just like some poems, some song lyrics don’t seem to make a whole lot of sense on the surface. I’ll find myself singing along to a song I hear on the radio or on my Pandora feed and think, “I have no idea what this song is about. But I like it.” Some poems strike me that way.

But aside from turning a poem into a popular song, how do we make poetry more a part of everyday life? Education can help. We all need to get fired up about poetry. A poetry slam is one way to get people excited. It has its place. I’ve never been to one, but it occurs to me that the danger of a poetry slam is you have to create and perform poems that grab people’s attention. They have to be popular, funny or dramatic in some way. Then we’re back to the discussion about being high-brow. If a poem becomes popular, does that mean it’s really not that good? In my opinion, a lot of popular music isn’t that good. I’d hate to see poetry become like that.

Then again, there’s plenty of music out there in other genres – country, rock, jazz, classical.  Each genre has its own following and its own standards. Poetry could be like that. Why not?

What would the world be like if people wrote and recited poems in their everyday life? Imagine walking into Starbucks and reciting your coffee order to the barista in verse. Or you go see the doctor and greet her with an ode to your stomach that seems to be giving you all sorts of trouble lately. How about a free verse in the WalMart checkout line?

Eccentric, I know. But think about it – what fun! Maybe we need a few free-spirited people dedicated to populating our planet with a little more beauty, reverence, and depth through poetry.