What do you wish you'd learned at school about poetry?

[billy]

There is more to poetry than shock value. I loved Bukowski in my teens and when I am drunk I look to him for inspiration, but poetry is so much more than profanity communicates. It can be so much more eloquent. It has guided me through so much loneliness but I would hate if a teacher gave me false praise. Please be everyone honest and remember what art can give us in these times where god is dead. God was patriarchal this is true but now we live in times of scientific bleakness we need things like poetry to teach that we are humans prone to folly... I could go on but it would seem preachy.

i came back to this post.
in these times when god is dead
and
but now we live in times of scientific bleakness
aren't both of those phrases horseshit, (not attacking you by any means) but that's just stereotypical horseshit. i know for (almost a fact) that god is so alive for many people not just on this forum but in the world.
i know for a fact that science and the church now share many world views. we no longer live in the dark ages nor does poetry. who said anything about false praise. (i went back and double checked )
we don't need poetry that tells us we're humans prone to folly
we need poetry to show that we are indeed humans, that we can create, that we can think independently of church and science and anything else we choose and put those thoughts down on paper or computer screen.