“You can’t make much money from poetry, can you?” This is the first question I am often offered when people learn that I am a poet. No inquiries as to the type of poetry I write or how I got into the art form, simply doubt.

In the modern day, when most people hear the word ‘poetry’, images of rhymes neatly stitched into needlepoint pillows or Shakespearian sonnets from high school classes cross their mind. This blinds them to all the other wonderful things that poetry can be. Now, I appreciate Shakespearian sonnets as much as the next literature nerd, but that certainly falls short of what poetry has evolved to be today.

Yes, there are phrases on pillows and cheesy rhymes on greeting cards which also fall under the umbrella of poetry, but the art form has evolved into something far greater. In general, the minds in our society have grown a bit numb to the social, political, and environmental issues that are very prominent in our world. It makes sense; if you are always surrounded by negativity, you will become apathetic. It is up to the artists, the poets, to bring numbness out of the world and beat emotion and care into it using words.

One modern form of poetry that does this extremely well is spoken word poetry. Artists speak to a matter they care greatly for in a scripted and purposeful way that offers insight to a matter that needs resolution. Poets get people to care as they work tirelessly to make something beautiful and controversial in order to make change. They offer a call to action that society needs to hear.

Not every form of modern poetry is so overt about changing the world for the better as spoken word poetry, but small positive impacts make people happy. This creates positive change. There are little motivational poems on social media platforms like Instagram that work to do just that. These have become extremely popular as of late and while some may roll their eyes at their cheesiness, the motivation genuinely helps people who struggle with mental illness or simply need a positive influence in their day. This poetry is an extreme kindness as it offers just a little bit more peace to the world.

Then there are books of poetry. Some call them coffee table books; I call them a deep dive into an artist’s mind. Poetry is ultimately more jarring—in the most beautiful way—than prose as it condenses larger ideas, details, and emotions into a small sequence of words. This means that each word is deliberate and, therefore, insanely impactful. These poetry collections are always loaded with emotion and diving into the work of some of the greats: Lang Leav, Leonard Cohen, Margret Atwood, Nikita Gill, and so many more can really access deep emotions in readers and allow them to explore concepts within themselves that they never would have experienced.

From all this we can see that poetry is one of the most impactful art forms in the world. Still, from its mention comes the question: “you can’t make much money from poetry, can you?” Well, that depends on your tenacity. And for poets, a very passionate people, tenacity is not something we lack.