Tony Medina

So…after reading poems every day, what does poetry mean to you?

Here’s a poem by author/poet Tony Medina, author of twelve books for adults and children, the most recent of which is the poetry collection, Death, With Occasional Smiling (Indolent Books (April 20, 2021)

Named by Writer’s Digest as one of ten poets to watch in the new millennium, Medina’s poetry, fiction and essays appear in over eighty publications, including anthologies and literary journals. Medina is a professor at Howard University, Washington D.C.

Poetry Means The World To Me

Poetry means the world to me
it’s how I laugh and sing
how I cry and ask why

Poetry comforts me
when I use jazz or
the blues or the way
regular folks talk –
the language
they use

Words don’t always
have to be neat
and polished
like a statue

They should be
used used used
to say what you like
or don’t like
what you see think
or feel -- --

Words to fight against
hate and unnecessary
suffering

Poetry is what I use
to say
I love you.

--Tony Medina [from Love to Langston]