--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's a sameness about American poetry…" description: "\"There's a sameness about American poetry that I don't think represents the whole people. It represents a poetry of the moment, a poetry of evasion, and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/552/yusef-komunyakaa-16756_american-poetry_there-s-a-sameness-about-american-poetry_1785962.jpg" --- # There's a sameness about American poetry that I don't… ![“There's a sameness about American poetry that I don't think represents the whole people. It represents a poetry of the moment, a poetry of evasion, and I have problems with this. I believe poetry has always been political, long before poets had to deal with the page and white space . . . it's…” quote by Yusef Komunyakaa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/552/yusef-komunyakaa-16756_american-poetry_there-s-a-sameness-about-american-poetry_1785962.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/552/yusef-komunyakaa-16756_american-poetry_there-s-a-sameness-about-american-poetry_1785962.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/552/yusef-komunyakaa-16756_american-poetry_there-s-a-sameness-about-american-poetry_1785962.jpg) > “There's a sameness about American poetry that I don't think represents the whole people. It represents a poetry of the moment, a poetry of evasion, and I have problems with this. I believe poetry has always been political, long before poets had to deal with the page and white space . . . it's natural.” [Yusef Komunyakaa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusef-komunyakaa/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. American poetry often feels uniform and evasive, neglecting diverse voices; poetry should be inherently political and representative. **In simple terms:** Poetry should reflect many people, not just a single view. Key Takeaway Demand broader representation in poetry. Themes politics diversity representation poetry culture Mood critical thought‑provoking Type essay analytical When to use this quote - curriculum design - poetry workshops - public readings Key Concepts literary criticism social justice voice inclusion Questions to Reflect On - How can poets broaden their scope? - What role should politics play in art? A Different Perspective Changing entrenched tastes can be slow. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-poetry/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Sameness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sameness/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [This i believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/this-i-believe/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [White space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-space/) ## Related quotes > [For me, poetry is an evasion of the real job of writing prose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/for-me-poetry-is-an-evasion-of-the-real-job-of-writing-prose/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [“For me,” she wrote, “poetry is an evasion from the real job of writing prose.” Throughout”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/for-me-she-wrote-poetry-is-an-evasion-from-the-real-job-of-writing/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [Poetry is a process of getting back to the unconscious. Hence, I am always writing-even when I'm not facing the white space. I feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusef-komunyakaa/poetry-is-a-process-of-getting-back-to-the-unconscious-hence-i-am/) [Yusef Komunyakaa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusef-komunyakaa/) > [Poetry is a political act because it involves telling the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-jordan/poetry-is-a-political-act-because-it-involves-telling-the-truth/) [June Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-jordan/) > [ I know there's some poetry that sort of sounds like daisies, but most of the good poetry is also \[political\], you can feel the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/i-know-there-s-some-poetry-that-sort-of-sounds-like-daisies-but-most/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [All poetry is political, to some degree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-young/all-poetry-is-political-to-some-degree/) [Mike Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-young/) > [I always thought that writing poetry was in itself a political act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashbery/i-always-thought-that-writing-poetry-was-in-itself-a-political-act/) [John Ashbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashbery/) > [When these idiot rightwingers start complaining about poetry being political, I'm fond of reciting Sappho to them, who excluded men from her world. Why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-hamill/when-these-idiot-rightwingers-start-complaining-about-poetry-being/) [Sam Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-hamill/) > [I think that the job of poetry, its political job, is to refresh the idea of justice, which is going dead in us all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hass/i-think-that-the-job-of-poetry-its-political-job-is-to-refresh-the/) [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) > [I'm of the opinion that poetry is always political, and cannot help but be so, regardless of the poet's intent, given that refusing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-naffis-sahely/i-m-of-the-opinion-that-poetry-is-always-political-and-cannot-help/) [Andre Naffis-Sahely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-naffis-sahely/) > [My art and poetry is very political now. Because you've got to find that truth within you and express yourself. Somewhere out there, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-bowman/my-art-and-poetry-is-very-political-now-because-you-ve-got-to-find/) [Jack Bowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-bowman/) > [ Poets are political, they have to be reflections of their times \[because\] they're living in their times... Poetry is political in that it's standing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cusack/poets-are-political-they-have-to-be-reflections-of-their-times/) [John Cusack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cusack/) > [Civic poetry is public poetry. It is political poetry. It is about the hard stuff of life: money, crime, gender, corporate excess, racial injustice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alissa-quart/civic-poetry-is-public-poetry-it-is-political-poetry-it-is-about-the/) [Alissa Quart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alissa-quart/) > [I've often said that all poetry is political. This is because real poems deal with a human response to reality and politics is part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yehuda-amichai/i-ve-often-said-that-all-poetry-is-political-this-is-because-real/) [Yehuda Amichai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yehuda-amichai/) > [I don't believe that poetry is in danger because nobody wants to read it or appreciate it. There is a tremendous audience for it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/i-don-t-believe-that-poetry-is-in-danger-because-nobody-wants-to-read/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) ## More by Yusef Komunyakaa > [It took me 14 years to write poems about Vietnam. I had never thought about writing about it, and in a way I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusef-komunyakaa/it-took-me-14-years-to-write-poems-about-vietnam-i-had-never-thought/) [Yusef Komunyakaa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusef-komunyakaa/) > [I see many black males grasping for some thread of hope. There are so many destructive practices, glimpses into a psychic abyss. That must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusef-komunyakaa/i-see-many-black-males-grasping-for-some-thread-of-hope-there-are-so/) [Yusef Komunyakaa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusef-komunyakaa/) > [“Title: Blue Light Lounge Sutra For The Performance Poets At Harold Park Hotel the need gotta be so deep words can't answer simple questions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusef-komunyakaa/title-blue-light-lounge-sutra-for-the-performance-poets-at-harold/) [Yusef Komunyakaa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusef-komunyakaa/) > [“Foolhearted mindreader, help us see how the heart begs, how fangs of opprobrium possess our eyes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusef-komunyakaa/foolhearted-mindreader-help-us-see-how-the-heart-begs-how-fangs-of/) [Yusef Komunyakaa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusef-komunyakaa/) > [I like connecting the abstract to the concrete. There's a tension in that. I believe the reader or listener should be able to enter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusef-komunyakaa/i-like-connecting-the-abstract-to-the-concrete-there-s-a-tension-in/) [Yusef Komunyakaa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusef-komunyakaa/) > [Whoever said men hit harder when women are around, is right. Word for word, we beat the love out of each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusef-komunyakaa/whoever-said-men-hit-harder-when-women-are-around-is-right-word-for/) [Yusef Komunyakaa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusef-komunyakaa/) > [I think of language as our first music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusef-komunyakaa/i-think-of-language-as-our-first-music/) [Yusef Komunyakaa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusef-komunyakaa/) > [I think of my poems as personal and public at the same time. You could say they serve as psychological overlays. One fits on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusef-komunyakaa/i-think-of-my-poems-as-personal-and-public-at-the-same-time-you-could/) [Yusef Komunyakaa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusef-komunyakaa/) > [“In the old days, the general's ribbons / & medals rainbowed across his chest, / & if he were interrogating himself, / by now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusef-komunyakaa/in-the-old-days-the-general-s-ribbons-medals-rainbowed-across-his/) [Yusef Komunyakaa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusef-komunyakaa/) > [Blue is the insides of something mysterious and lonely. I'd look at fish and birds, thinking the sky and water colored them. The first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusef-komunyakaa/blue-is-the-insides-of-something-mysterious-and-lonely-i-d-look-at/) [Yusef Komunyakaa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusef-komunyakaa/) > [“The Way the Cards Fall " Why did you stay away so long? I’ve buried another husband, since I last saw you holding to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusef-komunyakaa/the-way-the-cards-fall-why-did-you-stay-away-so-long-i-ve-buried/) [Yusef Komunyakaa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusef-komunyakaa/) > [Vietnam helped me to look at the horror and terror in the hearts of people and realize how we can't aim guns and set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusef-komunyakaa/vietnam-helped-me-to-look-at-the-horror-and-terror-in-the-hearts-of/) [Yusef Komunyakaa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusef-komunyakaa/) > [It wasn't a deliberate decision to become a poet. It was something I found myself doing - and loving. Language became an addiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusef-komunyakaa/it-wasn-t-a-deliberate-decision-to-become-a-poet-it-was-something-i/) [Yusef Komunyakaa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusef-komunyakaa/) > [“My doors enter from the sidestreet, my windows painted basement black, my mouth kisses the blues harp, my heart hides like notes locked in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusef-komunyakaa/my-doors-enter-from-the-sidestreet-my-windows-painted-basement-black/) [Yusef Komunyakaa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusef-komunyakaa/) > [Cursing themselves in ragged dreamsfire has singed the edges of,they know a slow dying the fields have come to terms with.Shimmering fans work against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusef-komunyakaa/cursing-themselves-in-ragged-dreamsfire-has-singed-the-edges-of-they/) [Yusef Komunyakaa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusef-komunyakaa/) [Explore all 39 Yusef Komunyakaa quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusef-komunyakaa/) ## More American poetry quotes > [I'm educating myself more about world poetry. I know a lot about contemporary American poetry, so I felt I needed to learn more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-joseph/i-m-educating-myself-more-about-world-poetry-i-know-a-lot-about/) [Allison Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-joseph/) > [ Probably the high-watermark of \[Bob\] Dylan's career came after he plugged in his guitar ("Judas!" one fan shouted during a concert) and exploded American… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-michaelson/probably-the-high-watermark-of-bob-dylan-s-career-came-after-he/) [Jay Michaelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-michaelson/) > [I think the best American poetry is the poetry that utilizes the resources of poetry rather than exploits the defects or triumphs of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-strand/i-think-the-best-american-poetry-is-the-poetry-that-utilizes-the/) [Mark Strand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-strand/) > [“Mr Rutger cornet de Groot. Never read any American poetry or any other foreign poetry, which is why he always mentions 2 poets as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martinus-hendrikus-benders/mr-rutger-cornet-de-groot-never-read-any-american-poetry-or-any-other/) [Martinus Hendrikus Benders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martinus-hendrikus-benders/) > [Kerouac: You're ruining American poetry, O'Hara. O'Hara: That's more than you ever did for it, Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-o-hara/kerouac-you-re-ruining-american-poetry-o-hara-o-hara-that-s-more-than/) [Frank O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-o-hara/) > [From reading a previous answer, you know that I consider all those aspects to be part of American cultural myth and thus they figure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-wakoski/from-reading-a-previous-answer-you-know-that-i-consider-all-those/) [Diane Wakoski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-wakoski/) > [Mandelstam is the sort of poet who comes along very, very rarely. Even the two Russian poets whose work is often linked with his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-wiman/mandelstam-is-the-sort-of-poet-who-comes-along-very-very-rarely-even/) [Christian Wiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-wiman/) > [American poetry is always about defining oneself individually,claiming one's right to be different and often to break taboos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-wakoski/american-poetry-is-always-about-defining-oneself-individually/) [Diane Wakoski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-wakoski/) > [Distinctly American poetry is usually written in the context of one's geographic landscape, sometimes out of one's cultural myths, and often with reference to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-wakoski/distinctly-american-poetry-is-usually-written-in-the-context-of-one-s/) [Diane Wakoski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-wakoski/) > [American poetry, like American painting, is always personal with an emphasis on the individuality of the poet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-wakoski/american-poetry-like-american-painting-is-always-personal-with-an/) [Diane Wakoski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-wakoski/) > [“LIFE IS NEVER OVER.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-king/life-is-never-over/) [Amy King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-king/) > [“Tell this to ladies: how a hero man Assail a thick and scandalous giant Who casts true shadow in the sun, And die, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-crowe-ransom/tell-this-to-ladies-how-a-hero-man-assail-a-thick-and-scandalous/) [John Crowe Ransom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-crowe-ransom/) > [The Astonishment Tapes will now take its place within the growing field of international research about postwar American poetry's important contribution to world literature.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-gizzi/the-astonishment-tapes-will-now-take-its-place-within-the-growing/) [Peter Gizzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-gizzi/) > [I don't think the creative writing industry has helped American poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-morgan/i-don-t-think-the-creative-writing-industry-has-helped-american-poetry/) [Robert Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-morgan/) > [I definitely wish to distinguish American poetry from British or other English language poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-wakoski/i-definitely-wish-to-distinguish-american-poetry-from-british-or/) [Diane Wakoski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-wakoski/) [Browse all 62 American poetry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-poetry/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There's a sameness about American poetry that I don't think represents the whole people. 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