Robert Creeley- "Poetry has no purpose"

[@sarahcreeley2678]

Scrolling I come across this with my Dad. He was such a Great American Poet. I love what he’s saying! I always was surprised when I would go to hear him read where students would come, and after his reading, they would try to analyze his poetry, and it just felt so strange to me. Asking questions about why it was so long or so short things like that which to me weren’t the point at all. I think what Dad is saying and what I believe is that poetry is a form of expression and there shouldn’t be any rules around it. Poetry is way to express yourself authentically. I love my Dad so much and I’m so grateful for him and I feel so lucky to have been his daughter.

[@alexanderpederson7791]

I always felt like your dad’s work was beyond interpretation. I almost never try to analyze it, I simply feel it in the moment, because there is a great wealth of emotional content contained within his verse and taking an overly formalist approach to it would almost cheapen the experience . His dancing metaphor is perfect. No one interprets a dance it’s simply an act that takes us out of ourselves for a brief moment. You can analyze the steps in the dance, but again that detracts from the ecstatic joy inherent in the dance itself. His word play and ability to compress his poems to the barest essence are unparalleled in poetry. Definitely my favourite American poet. After I watched this video today and saw you posted, I was thrilled. I feel like I’m talking to him through the generations - his lineage. Your father was amazing, he was a poets poet. Not a household name but for those who truly love poetry he is a giant. As an amateur poet myself, I would say your father and other members of his generation are the biggest influence on me in how I shape my own craft. Thanks for posting this, it made my day.

[@sarahcreeley2678]

I appreciate your reply to my comment so much! I’m sure my father would feel grateful that his poetry felt so meaningful to you!

[@sonampalmo3578]

Poetry has an affect. It stirs the mind and the heart. It is a form of story-telling. Do stories have no purpose?

[@jakemetcalfe3091]

I would say that stories do have a purpose, but only the purposes we ascribe to them. People get out and walk away with different things when it comes to the arts. I tend to think of poetry, music & food etc as extremely rich and beautiful life accompaniments - art and expression as a natural outgrowth of the human animal. They don’t really ‘need’ a purpose. If you’re already looking for one though, you’ll probably find it. That’s my two cents, anyway. Have a wonderful day.

[@williamgass9242]

I think he's saying you shouldn't have to try and find a purpose because you'll miss the point or become a snob

[@nledaig]

Except to be poetry