The Poetic Experience (Number Four) Poem by Eric Cockrell

poetry lost itself,
lost it's connection,
and its ability to be
effective when it became
a secluded form, wrapped
in the academic world,
shaped by form and vague
images and intricate patterns.
but there have always been
those who walked a different
path, who dared!
for poetry to again reach
the hearts of the masses, we
have to speak their language!
we have to use images and
experiences that the common
man and woman both understand,
and have felt. we have to be real!
poetry is not a large volume
that sits on a shelf unopened...
poetry is the heartbeat of the people.
it has to taste like people, feel
like people, and stink like people!
at this late and urgent time,
it has nothing to do with praise,
with awards, or with fame...
it has to do with reaching out
into the sweat and the excrement,
the longing and the hurting, the
anger and the lostness... reaching
out and touching... i dont care if
anyone remembers my name 20 years
from now... what i care about is
whether what i write brings redemption
and healing to the human spirit!