Hard to Get: Why write poems when no one understands them | Theophilus Kwek | TEDxBencoolen St Youth

Key Concepts

Poetry, understanding, interpretation, image, unseen, empathy, difference, language, reader, writer, sonnet, turn, emotional response, human connection.

Why Poets Write Poetry When Nobody Understands It

The Initial Question and Common Misconceptions

The speaker, Dio, a poet, addresses the question of why poets continue to write poetry when it's often misunderstood. He acknowledges the common reaction of puzzlement when he introduces himself as a poet, with people often expressing that they "don't get" poetry. He clarifies that while some poets write for personal processing, most poets seek an audience, raising the question of why they choose a seemingly inaccessible form.

Understanding Poetry: Beyond Literal Comprehension

Dio challenges the assumption that poetry should be easily understood like novels or plays. He uses the example of public art in Singapore's MRT stations, where people don't typically expect to "get" the art immediately. He argues that poetry operates differently, focusing on:

1. Image/Scene: Poets start with a specific image or scene that captures a moment.
2. Descriptive Language: They use tools like rhyme, shape, and line breaks to convey this image.
3. The Unseen: Crucially, poets aim to evoke what isn't immediately apparent, the emotional response, the intangible aspects of the scene. This is based on Don Patterson's idea that poets "invoke what isn't there."

Case Study: Nathaniel Chu's "Radical Days"

Dio illustrates these points with Nathaniel Chu's poem "Radical Days," written during the COVID-19 lockdown.

• Image: A home garden, tending to plants.
• Descriptive Language: Repeated rhymes (up/cup, sprouts/out) create a sense of reassuring routine.
• The Unseen: The plants' "palms" evoke the human connections the poet misses due to lockdown, his separation from friends. The poem is about his plans (for reconnection) rather than just his plants.

He points out that the poem is a sonnet, a 14-line poem with 10 syllables per line and a fixed rhyme scheme. The "turn" (around line 8, marked by "But") signifies a shift in the poet's realization, from despondency to hope. Even without knowing the form, the poem's structure nudges the reader towards this shift.

The Reader's and Writer's Roles: A Dance for Two

Dio emphasizes the interactive nature of poetry. The reader's job is to imagine what the poet is imagining, to see what the poet has in their mind's eye. This requires empathy and a willingness to move beyond the concrete image. The writer's job is to imagine the reader and use language to nudge them towards the intended emotional experience. This is described as a "dance for two."

The Uncertainty and Joy of Poetry

Dio acknowledges that a poem's success is often a matter of chance, as it's impossible for a poet to fully understand every reader. However, this uncertainty is also the source of joy, mirroring the challenges and rewards of forming human connections.

Three Reasons Why Poetry Still Matters

Dio concludes with three reasons why poetry remains important:

1. Poems Remind Us of Difference: Every individual has a unique emotional response to the same scene. A good poem offers a distinctive point of view, challenging clichés.
2. Poems are an Exercise in Empathy: Reading and writing poetry requires imaginative effort, forcing us to slow down and understand someone else's perspective. This is increasingly important in a divided world.
3. Poems are the Best Way to Convey Certain Things: While other forms are suitable for complaints or arguments, poetry excels at capturing those inexplicable moments when something ordinary moves us deeply. It allows us to entrust a flicker of feeling to the imagination and empathy of another person.

Final Thoughts

Dio encourages the audience not to be discouraged if they don't immediately "get" a poem. It may not be for them, but it represents a moment that has moved someone else, and that is significant.