From childhood until our twilight, poetry has always shown us the beauty of life, existence, and all the things that make up a good life.

Poetry is all around us. From the moment we first breathe the free air until our last one, poetry chronicles our existence and shows us what life is all about. Poetry is present in our songs, our lullabies, our prayers, and our learnings. When we grow older, poetry opens our doors to new ideas and experiences. And as we ride into the setting sun in our old age, it will be poetry ushering us into the final chapters of our existence, reminding us of the beautiful life journey we’ve had. In short, poetry is life in motion.

Poetry introduces us to the beauty of life. As kids, poetry guided us as we learned to explore life and discover its majesty.

As kids, we marvel at the world with fresh eyes. We are introduced to a paradise teeming with colorful birds, animals that roam the vast nature, and marine life below the blue ocean. We are told of the blossoming flowers, the Earth’s bounty, and the endless beauty and happiness. At least, that’s how we remember it in our nursery rhymes, the earliest poetry we know.

Kid’s poetry is based on beautiful discoveries and pleasant things comprising the beauty of life. We are introduced to faith and God through children’s prayers. We give thanks using poetry, praise through memorized poems and communicate with God through spoken poetry.

As we interact with other kids and the rest of society, we learn the rules of life and the laws that govern our immediate world. We discover science, math, art, history, and other truths through poetry. We learn to navigate the streets, discover other worlds, and learn of complexities because of poetry. We embrace values and be inspired by other people’s lives because of poetry. For young people, poetry is a guide and a constant companion on our road to adulthood.

As we grew older, poetry became our form of expression, confidant, and source of wisdom and inspiration in more ways than one.

As we mature into life, we tackle more serious questions and experiences. We encounter life challenges as well as victories that shape our being. We begin to read and appreciate more profound poetry such as The Color of Love by Raymond Quattlebaum. It is one of the books that tackle the landscape of life by Quattlebaum. His other book is Poetry in Motion. Works like this celebrate faith, family, friendship, devotion, and the beauty of life itself. It expresses many things such as gratitude, awe, and love.

However, like our life experiences, some poems speak of more somber and ponderous themes. Themes like loss, separation, changes, uncertainty, rejection, frustration, guilt, and many other feelings are the ones we encounter as we journey through life. And poetry keeps us company in various chapters of our adulthood.

As we reach old age, it is also poetry that keeps giving us meaning and wisdom. Poems like Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet, W.B. Yeats’ Sailing to Byzantium, William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 73, and many others celebrate the journey, the whole circle, retirement, forgiveness, redemption, legacy, and farewell. It is without a doubt that poetry is the soul of our life. From womb to tomb, poetry accompanies us through and through. That is why we must appreciate and celebrate good poetry and good poets every chance we get.

Raymond Quatllebaum is an inspirational poet. You can purchase his notable works via Amazon and ReadersMagnet. You can also visit his official author’s website for more details and updates.