I hate poetry

For my English class we are getting into the thick of a long-term poetry project.  I cannot express enough how much I despise poetry.  I love literature of all varieties, just not poetry.  I feel people write poetry for one of 3 reasons; 1) to show off how talented a writer they are, 2) to make people feel bad for them or 3) to get laid.  When I complain about poetry people always bring up my love of music and try to compare the two.  That is crap.  As self-absorbed as singers are, their lyrics are generally meaningless.  They are simply another instrument.  The ones that try to be deep, generally fall to the same fate as poets.  Seriously, poetry is like the drum solo of the written world.  It is literary masturbation.  Nothing makes me more angry than to suffer through some knob going on and on trying to compare the love of his life to a brisk autumn day.  Give me a break… stop droning on about your life in a manner that only strokes your ego.  Try to find a useful contribution to society.  Give blood, pick up trash, just please, don’t write poetry.