Poetry: its nature and use

Abstract

Introduction: How grand to have the thoughts of others to read and wonder over when loneliness besets us on our way; how blessed to have the gift of speech; to think and talk and hear our loved ones talk, to know their thoughts. We travel miles to see our friends, and think nothing of the journey. But another great pleasure has presented itself to us; not only are we able to talk with our friends when they are in our presence, and thus enjoy one another’s thoughts, but we can write our thoughts upon paper and thus we may send it miles away thus we may converse with friends even across the ocean. And not only that but we have the writings of those long since departed. Babylonian Archeologists find inscription that declare the existence of cities over seven thousand years before Christ. Thus records are found of very early efforts in writing, and how we long to have them all deciphered as some of them have been, to, know what they mean. And yet how slow we are to grasp, how little we appreciate, this wonderful gift. We seldom think of it as a gift until we meet a friend who is unable to speak, and then how we pity him, never thinking how we abuse our privilege and grope in darkness and idleness.