Verse Couture: Fast Poetry in Unfashionable Times

by Sean Wolff

Did you know there’s a correlation between the state of the economy and fashion trends? During the economic crash in the 2000s, sales in lipstick soared significantly. While this correlation may seem arbitrary at first, this trend becomes clearer when observing the simultaneous decline in sales of women’s clothing during that period. Many women opted for buying lipstick and other cosmetics as a cost-effective means of accessorizing, rather than investing in new, expensive clothing.

This correlation signifies that certain trends can serve as symptoms of larger societal issues. Over the past five years, poetry has experienced a resurgence. Similar to the rapid rise of fast fashion, there has been a surge in what I've dubbed "fast poetry" – or poetry that lacks depth (think Atticus or Rupi Kaur). Celebrities have joined this trend, releasing their own collections of (not so great) poetry. ​​

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

Established poets may argue that this flood of "fast poetry" risks diluting the genre. As a poet myself, I share in the frustration upon seeing poetry collections by celebrities like Megan Fox or Gabbie Hanna on bookstore shelves, overshadowing poets who have honed their craft over a lifetime.

On the other hand, I see the benefit of any publicity being good publicity. Increased visibility means more discussions about poetry. Someone initially disinterested in poetry might purchase a collection by their favorite influencer and subsequently develop a deeper appreciation for the genre, eventually exploring other poets. Similarly, someone might also stumble upon a Tumblr-esque poem on TikTok which could trigger a chain reaction of sharing amongst friends. While this dilution is irritating for serious poets, this exposure keeps poetry in the cultural zeitgeist and may offer someone a small accessory of hope when they don’t have the means to afford a well, hand-crafted poem produced by an experienced tailor of verse. 

[T]he very act of sharing poetry fosters a domino effect of healing, and it might just be what the world desperately needs at this moment.

Nevertheless, I believe poetry is trending not because of the cringe-worthy posts many scroll past on social media, but instead as a reflection of a societal quest for purpose and wanting better for ourselves. Today’s media bombards us with distressing news, making it challenging to maintain a positive outlook on the world. However, poetry, in my view, symbolizes humanity's attempt to heal and comprehend itself and its surroundings. While some poets excel more than others, the very act of sharing poetry fosters a domino effect of healing, and it might just be what the world desperately needs at this moment.

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

Fast poetry, unlike fast fashion, is not harming anyone. The manufacturing process of fast fashion produces an innumerable amount of waste in every single part of its production, which goes on to further harm the environment and wildlife. The very worst that fast poetry can do is cause more experienced readers in the genre to roll their eyes. However, I think the more experienced poets need to remember that everybody needs to start somewhere. One doesn’t need to be a great poet to start writing poetry, but they need to start somewhere in order to evolve into a great poet. 

Ultimately, if someone is feeling inclined to write poetry, it is because their soul is urging them to do so. Just because one reader may not like a poem, that doesn’t mean that others readers won’t appreciate it, or better yet find a glimmer of hope in these unfashionable times that we are living in. Don’t want to take my word for it? This is what one of the greatest poets of the twentieth century, Langston Hughes, had to say about hope: “Hold fast to dreams / For if dreams die / Life is a broken-winged bird / That cannot fly" (1-4). While we may roll our eyes at fast poetry, it is best that we do not clip the wings of these poems — we can never know where they may take us. ​