I have a confession to make, I’ve never been a fan of poetry, much to my grandpa’s dismay. He loved poetry, and I think he was always somewhat disappointed that neither of his grandchildren shared his appreciation for it. My grandparents, who were married for 61 years, died in the summer of 2019, a couple of hours apart. When I read Kovalik & Curwood’s (2019) article on Instapoetry and Transliteracy, I never imagined that I would come to appreciate poetry. Especially the only poem that my grandpa ensured would be ingrained in my head. More specifically, I would come to appreciate two lines from my grandpa’s favourite poem, “The Book” by Lord Alfred Tennyson.
"For men may come and men may go, But I go on forever" are the two lines that will forever be ingrained in my head. I can still picture my grandpa reciting the two lines at the dining table or when he was getting ready for work. When I was younger, I didn’t take those two lines to heart, but after reading Kovilak & Curwood’s (2019) article, and analysis of “The Brook,” I think I understand why those two lines stuck with my grandpa and, in turn, stuck with me. “The Brook” is a poem about the mortality and impermanence of human life. But for me, the lines “For men may come, and men may go, but I go on forever” is about legacy. I thought about why my grandpa always recited those two lines; in particular, I wonder if he thought about his legacy, how would his immediate family remember him, extended family, colleagues, friends, neighbours etc. I wonder if his legacy would fade away after my brother and I eventually pass away? Or are we (his daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren) his legacy? These are questions I can no longer ask him, but in some ways, it’s easy to feel nostalgic about this poem when it meant so much to him.
The poets interviewed in Kolivak & Curwood’s (2019) article discuss the community, support system and subjects of poetry present on Instagram. At the same time, Instagram has provided poets with a platform to explore themes and experiences that resonate with them; I feel that the platform also acts as a time capsule for their work. Their posts are dated with a date, month, and year, which conveys what they felt during a particular period in their lives. It can serve as a reminder of their growth(creatively, emotionally and intellectually) and hold a nostalgia factor. While memory is a powerful tool, I think having work that can be seen for many years when these poets are no longer alive holds power. Although the poets do not explicitly discuss their legacies in the article, I wonder if they think about them. Instagram has provided poets with many affordances to explore their creativity in ways where currency does not hold power over their ability to reach a global audience. I found it interesting that still, the goal for some poets was to have their work published physically. It was interesting to see that while online publishing has its place, perhaps a physical copy of their published work gives them a sense of accomplishment, validation and acceptance that is different from what they receive online. Maybe it is a way to bring their online selves (where they explore their vulnerability) to the physical world and bridge that gap.
When I was writing this journal entry, I was reminded of the film "Dead Poets Society" starring Robin Williams. An old High School friend loved it. I confess (again!) that I have never seen this movie, but I am a fan of Robin Williams, so I did watch two scenes from the movie. This gif and the scene associated with it gives me an appreciation for poetry. While I may never write poetry, I can appreciate those who do.
I gathered from reading Kolivak & Curwood’s (2019) article that poetry has the power to convey emotions differently from perhaps a book or a song. Feelings and thoughts can be expressed in a bare number of words while profoundly affecting the reader. Maybe that’s why youth gravitate towards it, and Instagram is the perfect platform for poetry because it allows for visually appealing aesthetics, unlike Twitter. I’m very interested in exploring how classroom pedagogy can include Instagram poetry, not just in K-12 classes but also in Higher Ed. What will transnational collaboration look like in the future?
Here are the two scenes from "Dead Poets Society" I watched and enjoyed. Have you seen this movie?
References
Kovalik, K., & Curwood, J. (2019). poetryisnotdead: understanding Instagram poetry within a transliteracies framework. Literacy (Oxford, England), 53(4), 185–195. https://doi.org/10.1111/lit.12186
LitCharts. (n.d.). The Brook Summary & Analysis by Alfred Lord Tennyson. LitCharts. https://www.litcharts.com/poetry/alfred-lord-tennyson/the-brook
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