What is Poetry If Not an Expression?

Poetry is made of many things--rhyme, rhythm, similes, allusions, plays on words. But what poetry is is entirely different. It can be the beauty of a lover forever preserved in the shadow box of a sonnet, a photo album of an unforgettable yet inimitable summer, or a simple love for the feeling of cold fingers against warm coffee mugs. Poetry is an expression of emotion, of memory, of a thought. To be able to express all these things, poetry must come in different forms. From haiku to epic, the length and style of poetry always differs. One form of poetry is songwriting.

Take the song "Northern Downpour" by Panic! at the Disco, for example. "Northern Downpour" was released on their whimsical 2008 album “Pretty. Odd.” along with its own music video. Among others, "Northern Downpour" is perhaps one of Panic’s most recognizable songs. It not only captured their exact style of the time and album, but resonated with audiences everywhere. And why is that? Because "Northern Downpour" expresses things we can all relate to: love, nostalgia… or maybe a love for nostalgia. "Northern Downpour" is a poem that sends you back to the memory of the songwriter Ryan Ross. It employs many different types of literary devices. The first used is the simile, which is used almost immediately in the first lyric, “If all our life is but a dream.” Ross quickly uses similes so he can begin telling a story. The poem is an ode to a memory or certain someone, yes, but Ross preserves his memory in the dream-like story. The importance of love and time well-spent continues in the simile, “For diamonds do appear to be / Just like broken glass to me.” In the particularly descriptive second verse, Ross describes the imagery through similes like “I know the world’s a broken bone” and “unraveled words like moths upon old scarves”. They add imagery and meaning to the song. In using similes, the poem assumes more of a story-telling role, but still retains that whimsical atmosphere by comparing seemingly disconnected things. One wouldn't immediately think that world is a broken bone, but when looking back on sweet, now unattainable memories, one understands just what Ross is trying to say. The verse is comforting, all while still being charming and descriptive.

Personification, however, is perhaps the most important device used throughout, describing the biggest theme of the song--the memory. In Ross’ memory, it’s almost as though it was the ambiance itself that made the times happy. There’s no “I love you” in the song, but there is “northern downpour sends its love”. Northern Downpour, besides being the title, could also perhaps be the setting where the events described in the song took place. It could also be the emotions felt, or could represent a person. It is also probable that the moon is representative of an emotion, as seen in the personification in the lyrics “Hey moon, please forget to fall down / Hey moon, don't you go down.” Not only is the literary device giving life to the moon, something very commonly referred to by poets, but it also adds to the nostalgic feeling of the song. It’s almost as though Ross were pleading, don’t go, I want this memory to last. It’s the “just a little bit longer” characteristic of love that is perfectly captured through poetry. Other literary devices, such as allusions and plays on words, add character and quirks to the song, just as small details would to a memory or story. The song alludes to The Wizard of Oz in the lyric “you clicked your heels and wished for me.” In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy clicks her heels and wishes to be back home. Ross is saying is that he was someone’s home once, and that the feeling was somewhat mutual as told in the preceding line, “I missed your skin when you were east.” Finally, Ross includes the play on words of “my one and lonely”, which is repeated many times throughout the end of the song. “My one and lonely”, short phrase that it is, could be a reference to a joke or recurring event of Ross’ memory, as one could infer from how often it is repeated. It also continues to describe the themes of love and bittersweet nostalgia. "Northern Downpour" is a fantastic poem, not only because of the importance and popularity of the song, but because of its shared characteristics and themes with many other poems. Literary devices such as similes, personification, allusions, et cetera are used to express emotions and thoughts, just like in other poetic forms. The theme of love and memory is expressed in a way very similar to the way other poems express it. From nostalgia to stories, from dreams to love, Northern Downpour has infinite layers of emotion, all concealed behind poetic tools. But as previously said, it’s not what makes up a poem, it’s what the poem’s about that makes it what it is--an expression.