Poetry is the oldest art of the written word, and the most stubbornly resistant to commodification. A poem cannot be skimmed. It demands the full bandwidth of attention, returning that investment in the form of recognition — the sudden clarity of seeing something said exactly right.
In an age of text in surplus, the poem is a corrective. It restores the weight of language. It reminds us that words can carry the full charge of feeling, and that this is not a luxury but a necessity for any culture that wishes to remain awake.