The Need

We drink
and eat
and love
and talk nicely
and are polite
and work hard
and go to vacations
and watch movies
and grieve
and laugh at jokes
and pray to God
and reject foolish Gods
and be good to each other
and listen to music
and watch a little football.

We do all these very, very well.
And we do all these
without reading much poetry;
perhaps none at all.

Is poetry, then, needed?