In 2014, Canadian poet and illustrator Rupi Kaur self-published her first book, “Milk and Honey,” which skyrocketed to the New York Times Bestseller List for 100 consecutive weeks. It’s still consistently in bookstores today and can commonly be found in the poetry section next to Langston Hughes and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Kaur has been praised on social media for her short, free verse poetry that’s simple and heart-wrenching.

     But where is the depth? Where are the poetic devices? It is not found within Kaur’s work, or for that matter, in the work of Courtney Peppernell’s “Pillow Thoughts” or Atticus’s “LVOE,” two more poetry books made popular by social media. They read like Instagram captions or quotes from Tumblr or X.

     Here is a poem from Kaur’s “Milk and Honey” to give an idea of her writing: “the idea that we are / so capable of love / but still choose to be toxic.” The only poetic device in this poem is line enjambment, which is a phrase being broken up into multiple lines, and a common theme in these authors, with no probable reason behind it besides its aesthetic appeal.

     The issue isn’t that these people are writing poems; it’s that this poetry isn’t profound or even good, and yet it’s praised by social media as such. This means the poetry of simple “poets” rises to fame while undermining the work of people who are fantastic at their craft and dedicate their lives to this art.

     This isn’t to say that poets purely write poetry to be successful and get their work published and sold, either. It’s just the principle of the thing: poetry, with its metaphors, meter, rhyme, imagery, form, diction, and all of its nuances, is becoming endangered. A poem is something you can read 50 times and find a different meaning each time you read through it. And we, as a society, are losing the art of poetry.

     Some may argue that poetry is a free expression of emotion and can’t be criticized. Kaur, Peppernell, Atticus, and any of the famous actors who have suddenly found their poetic calling (e.g., Megan Fox, Lili Reinhart, Bella Thorne) are renowned poets simply because they want to be. This can be said about any form of art; however, anyone can paint and anyone can write a book. Everyone has the right to express their emotions through art, but that doesn’t mean everyone’s art should be hung up in museums.

     The issue at hand is the cheapness of poetry today and what that says about society. Why do famous TikToks fill the poetry shelf in Barnes & Noble and decades of mastering the art don’t? Society is turning into a place where fame equates to success, and it needs to come to a stop.