Wow, Makes Me Sad

John S. O'Connor has a short blog up at Harriet today that made me say "Wow" and then made me sad. It's about talking to "classroom teachers" (I think this means K-12) about poetry. Here's the clip that got me:

Novels and plays are the serious works, she suggested — actual books that serve a vital function, substantial texts that might really require some heavy lifting. Poetry, by implication, is regarded as wall art, something exotic rather than essential — not something to plan a room (or a unit) around.

At the end, he mentions a teacher who starts every class with a poem. When I first started teaching freshman comp, I used to end every class with a poem. I think I might go back to doing that! It's never too late to introduce poetry to the world. If you have a captive audience, please consider sharing some of your favorites. You'll be surprised how many people will appreciate it.