Transitions.

When I think poetry, there's just one thing that comes to my mind: 

Shel Silverstein.

In fourth grade I started to get super into poetry, that was my Shel Silverstein phase. I started writing a lot of my own poetry modeled after his. His poetry brought new life to my own writing, and shaped the way I started looking at poetry. And into my life as well! Such as his poem "Little Abigail and the  Beautiful Pony." This poem specifically stood out to me, and I would use it whenever I desperately wanted something and would tell my parents I would just die if I didn't get it. In the end, Little Abigail died when she didn't get her pony. So I definitely thought it was pretty relevant to my life.

When I hit seventh grade, I created a whole poem book. Stock full of all types of poems, mostly written about frogs.. I also actually wrote a sonnet all about a flip flop that I lost, I think it was actually rather beautiful! 

From then on, I suppose my tastes have sort of matured you could say. While I still love me some Silverstein, my tastes have moved onto the likes of Wordsworth and Gray and Milton. My study abroad in London last year was pretty much a literary heaven to me, being able to attend so many of the beautiful places where these authors originated or where the poems where based on.

For these reasons, I have chosen to memorize the sonnet penned by William Wordsworth titled "Scorn Not the Sonnet." For me, this poem embodies so much love for poetry and for so many of the authors and places that I've so come to adore. The title sort of sums it up, talking about other authors who are held in such high regard, and that we shouldn't scorn those works.

It's important to remember the greats of the past, as the greats of the future are trying to make their way. Sometimes it's easy to push aside the importance and feelings of poetry. Poetry bridges the gab between literature, and nature, and feelings, and so many things in life that just have trouble coming together.

To love poetry is to feel life.