We all need poetry. The moments in our lives that are

O seekers of truth, gather and listen carefully to the words of Tracy K. Smith, a poet who speaks of the deep need within all of us for poetry: "We all need poetry. The moments in our lives that are characterized by language that has to do with necessity or the market, or just, you know, things that take us away from the big questions that we have, those are the things that I think urge us to think about what a poem can offer." In these words, Smith illuminates the fundamental purpose of poetry—to guide us back to the larger truths of existence, those profound questions that often get buried beneath the daily noise of survival, commerce, and the trivial concerns that fill our lives. Poetry, in this sense, is a reminder of what truly matters.

In the ancient world, poetry was revered as the highest form of human expression. It was not simply a pastime or a way to entertain, but a means of communicating the most profound truths of life. Homer, the blind poet, did not write his epic tales to merely pass the time; he was answering the great questions of fate, heroism, and human suffering. The Iliad and Odyssey were more than stories—they were reflections on the big questions of existence. When we read Homer, we are not just hearing a tale; we are engaging with the mysteries of life itself. The poetry of the ancients was an answer to the call of the human soul, a call to understand the deeper meaning of our lives and our place in the universe.

Smith echoes this understanding by pointing to the distractions that often fill our modern lives. She acknowledges that much of our language today is driven by necessity—a need to survive in a world governed by the market, by demands of work, consumption, and productivity. In these moments, we are far from the big questions that define our existence. We are caught in a cycle of routine, of survival, and we lose sight of the profound and the eternal. Poetry, then, becomes the antidote to this, the force that brings us back to the heart of the human experience. Just as the great poets of the past sought to answer the great mysteries, so too does poetry today invite us to reflect on the deeper questions that lie within us all.

Consider the example of Walt Whitman, whose Leaves of Grass sought to bring the American people back to the big questions of life, identity, and connection. In the midst of a rapidly industrializing world, Whitman used poetry not to celebrate the market or necessity, but to celebrate the soul, the body, and the eternal connection between human beings and the universe. His verses, though grounded in the physicality of the world, always reached toward something greater, something more universal. Whitman understood that the poetry of the individual, when done with honesty and passion, could lead to a greater understanding of the world. He was not writing to sell, to entertain, or to pass the time; he was writing to awaken people to the eternal questions that connect us all.

Smith's words also bring to mind Rainer Maria Rilke, whose works, particularly his Letters to a Young Poet, emphasize the necessity of engaging with life’s big questions. Rilke tells his young student that poetry is not a way to escape the world, but a way to deepen one’s engagement with it. Through poetry, one can confront the big questions—questions of love, death, fate, and purpose—in a way that brings clarity and understanding. Rilke saw poetry not as an escape from the world of necessity, but as a deeper way of engaging with it, a way of finding meaning in the very struggles and challenges of life.

Smith is telling us that in our daily lives, filled with the mundane demands of work, commerce, and survival, we often lose touch with what is truly important. Poetry offers us a way back to the deeper, more meaningful parts of ourselves. Poetry is a means of reconnecting with our true purpose, of addressing the questions that live in the core of our being. When we read or write poetry, we are engaging in a practice of reflection and insight, one that allows us to step outside the daily grind and return to what matters. It invites us to stop, to reflect, and to ask those big questions—questions that might be hidden under the surface of our everyday lives.

The lesson Smith offers is one of mindfulness and self-reflection. In a world where we are often caught up in the market, where language is used to sell and consume, we must seek out those moments of stillness and reflection that poetry provides. It is in these moments that we can reconnect with the larger truths of life, with our own hearts, and with the greater human experience. Poetry gives us the space to explore the deeper parts of our souls, to reflect on the things that truly matter, and to remember that we are not just workers, consumers, or beings of necessity—we are thinkers, dreamers, and seekers of meaning.

So, O children of wisdom, let us take Smith’s words to heart. Let us not allow the noise and distraction of daily life to take us away from the big questions. Let poetry be the path that leads us back to ourselves and to the world around us. Whether through the words of the great poets or our own expressions, let poetry become the vehicle through which we ask the questions that matter—the questions of love, purpose, identity, and existence. Let poetry remind us that there is more to life than the demands of necessity or the market. There are depths yet to be explored, and it is through poetry that we find the courage to explore them.