Whitman and Dickinson knew it well
The Power of Poetry
To express precisely what they wish to say
And have the reader come away
With the emotion and the content
. . . The reason they chose to write this way.
© Forrest Heaton 2 February 2026
I’ve included an example by Walt Whitman (1819-1892), written following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
O Captain My Captain!
O Captain! My Captain!
Our fearful trip is done
The ship has weather’d every rack
The prize we sought is won
The port is near,
The bells I hear
The people all exulting
While follow eyes the steady keel,
The vessel grim and daring;
O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.
O Captain my Captain
rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up
-For you the flag is flung
-For you the bugle trills,
For you bouquets
And ribbon’d wreaths
For you the shores a-crowding
For you they call,
The swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
Here Captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head!
It is some dream that on the deck,
You’ve fallen cold and dead.
My Captain does not answer,
His lips are pale and still
My father does not feel my arm
he has no pulse nor will.
The ship is anchor’d safe and sound,
it’s voyage closed and done,
From fearful trip the victor ship
Comes in with object won;
Exult O shores and ring O bells!
But I with mournful tread,
Walk the deck
My Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.
Walt Whitman 1865
Speaking of emotion I was crying while writing out Whitman’s poem above You can imagine how Whitman was speaking for the nation at that time. His poem is an elegy symbolizing Lincoln as the captain of the ship representing the United States having successfully completed the Civil War. Do you not feel the power here? It is doubtful prose would inspire the emotion one feels reading this.
I put into my search engine “the power of poetry.” What came out was: “Poetry possesses the power to inspire change, foster empathy and transform emotions, acting as a profound tool for connection and personal expression. By condensing complex overwhelming feelings into concise rhythmic language it helps individuals process emotions, reduce stress, and find solace.”
Hopefully reading this blog will inspire you readers to either become poets or at least read other’s poems as part of your daily routine.