Imagine that you must travel far to tell people something–a great story of love and brave deeds, recipes for healing, directions for a spiritual journey. Your message is long and complex, but you have no tape recorder or e-mail, no camcorder or telephone, not even pen, paper, parchment, or papyrus to help you carry it along. You may not know how to read and write anyway. What can you do?
You can make a poem. You can make it in your head, choosing words whose sound and rhythm knit them together more closely than words in everyday speech. This way they are easier to remember. And you can choose words which are full of feeling and paint pictures, which let the listener taste the venison of the victory feast, hear the chain mail rattle or the camel snuffle outside the tent. The right words will keep your message alive. This is why we have poetry. |
