Beautifully written article. Now I am hoping Christianity Today will start to accept Christ centered poetry. :) Blessings!

Roger McKinney, you should try Richard Wilbur's poetry. That's 20th century poetry it's possible you would like.

The low status of poetry in the U.S. is indeed puzzling, when you consider its continued acclaim around the world in places like Afghanistan, Poland, Chile. I think it's linked to the broader distrust of "high" culture and anti-intellectualism in our democracy. Meanwhile, poetry slams, open mics, and writing workshops flourish and grow. People sense that poetry still has power. And something like the Favorite Poem Project, founded by former Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky, reveals that many Americans continue to treasure poetry in a deep way - http://www.favoritepoem.org. And as to poetry that doesn't rhyme and is occasionally obscure... have you read the Psalms lately?

Don't blame the public for disliking poetry. Academics and modern poets have done all in their power to make the public hate poetry. Modern poetry has no rhyme or rhythm and strives to be as obscure as possible. Afghan poetry tries to communicate; modern US poetry tries to obfuscate. I love poetry from the 19th century. I haven't read anything but silly limericks written in the 20th century that I would read.

Beautiful, poignant and a wonderful apologetic for poetry.

Beautiful, poignant, and an excellent apologetic for poetry.

"For many of them, poetry is their only form of education." Poetry as a form of education? Powerful concept, and subversive to some. Then again, education often is. Cheers, Tim ( timfall.wordpress.com ) P.S. For those who practice their reverse snobbery by poopooing poetry, I bet they enjoy a good Shel Silverstein lyric when they hear it. "A Boy Named Sue", anyone?

Preach it! It seems we've forgotten the value of beauty, of wonder, of fresh representations of universal truths.