Poetry has been a pillar of culture and expression for centuries. Whether it be: confessional, romantic, speculative, etc poetry comes in countless forms, giving a voice to just about anyone. The first examples of English poetry date back to (supposedly) the 7th century. So, after all these years of lasting influence, why is interest in poetry declining?
Over the last two or three decades we have seen a rapid and undeniable surge of technological integration into the average lifestyle. The turn of the new millennium all the way back in y2k and its subsequent high-tech advancements brought with it anxieties over robot invasions and identity theft. But now in the year 2025 us normal folk have front row access to new surveillance and streaming, but most profoundly: artificial Intelligence- which is exactly what it says on the tin- artificial.
Erasing the humanity of crafting literature and poetry may certainly explain the decline in quality, but how does this effect the decreasing levels of readership? Perhaps, just like reality TV and high school sports, an oversaturated market is to blame. The heaps of mediocre poetry crafted or edited by AI is giving the real deal a bad reputation. In an age where attention spans are declining, most online readers aren't sticking around to find the real good stuff, instead the low hanging content pushed out by machine learning is leaving a stain on the impression of poetry to the next generations of readers.
That being said, us real human poets still exist, so how come people aren't reading our stuff? It’s an unfortunate reality to face but the decline in print media has limited publication opportunities for up-and-coming writers dramatically. Even the established names are decreasingly found in the newspapers and magazines. Thus, people are reading less poetry nowadays because it seems there's nowhere to read it.
Reading poetry, as we’ve established, is facing a hapless decline. But who’s to say that people aren't getting their fix other ways. Poetry is all around us. The kids crafting playlists instead of doing their coursework- there's poetry in the lyrics they’re singing along to. Or, the lovers who sent cards on St Valentines Day- they're unknowingly authors of sonnets or odes.
Yes, sometimes it might seem pretentious or of fleeting importance, but poetry is so much more than just words upon a page. It’s up to us readers now to give the voices around us an audience. A life without poetry is no life at all. Go to the library, go to your computer, go read through your childhood diaries- poetry is everywhere for those willing to see it!