Ever notice how poetry whispers truths you didn’t know you were holding? That’s because poetry is the mirror we argue with, while rhetoric is the megaphone we aim at someone else.
Poetry is a man arguing with himself; rhetoric is a man arguing with others. ~ Robert Hass
When Robert Hass said, “Poetry is a man arguing with himself; rhetoric is a man arguing with others,” he reminded us why poetry feels so personal—it dares to ask the questions we pretend we’ve already answered. Poetry is raw, unresolved, and beautifully uncertain. It’s not trying to win. It’s trying to understand. And in that internal dialogue, we find not only our truest voice, but also the quiet path toward peace.
