As a kid, I hated poetry because school teachers recited (and forced us to recite) poems in an overly dramatic, inauthentic way. I saw poetry as pretentious and

As a kid, I hated poetry because school teachers recited (and forced us to recite) poems in an overly dramatic, inauthentic way. I saw poetry as pretentious and frivolous. Last year, I started listening to a Spanish rock band called Extremoduro (Spanish is my native language). I was captivated by the lyrics, I loved how the songwriter mixed delicate phrases with shocking and sometimes even impudent language. Robe, the singer & songwriter said: >Bueno, yo me reivindico más como poeta porque lo que más quiero ser es poeta. Hacer una música, bueno, sí, está bien, pero hacer una letra para mí es mucho más difícil, es donde está una canción". >(I claim myself as a poet, because being a poet is what I want the most. Making music, well, it's alright, but writing lyrics, for me, is much harder, because the lyrics is what makes the song). This band alone has triggered an unsuspected interest in poetry for me.