I am taking an Intro to Creative Writing class right now because 1) I realized I have never taken a formal creative writing class and 2) I can (it’s a nice perk of working for a university).
The first half of the class was on poetry and the first assignment was to write a poem on how we feel about poetry. Mine basically said “I don’t like grown-up poetry.” I really don’t. I like the fun stuff, like Shel Silverstein (yes, I am still 8 when it comes to poetry). This has resulted in me avoiding most poetry and feeling like I hate it.
As the class has gone on, I have discovered (there’s that word of the year) that I don’t actually hate poetry. I just need to find the stuff I like. E. E. Cummings and Robert Frost are good. I’m not entirely sold on Emily Dickinson yet, but still willing to give her work a shot.
So, if you also don’t care for poetry, I encourage you to see what’s out there before dismissing the whole art form. Visit poetryfoundation.org or poets.org to see if there is something that speaks to you.