Any Child Can Do It

An online resource for teachers recommends having younger students write poetry, because it is easier than prose. Poetry, they explain, does not need full sentences, or punctuation, or capitalization. Quite literally—this is the point of the teacher recommendation—any child can do it.

And in terms of contemporary poetry, they are right.

But this is also odd, because traditional poetry is extremely hard to write, far harder than prose.

So when we talk about modern poetry and traditional poetry, are we really talking about the same thing?

Seems instead that modern poetry is just prose without punctuation or grammar. Perhaps on an emotive theme.

And it is not surprising then if few any more are interested.