"Poetically Man Dwells..."

What importance does art, thus poetry, play in man's understanding of being and self? Though I will be writing (very... very...) briefly on Heidegger's evaluation of this question, let me begin by establishing what it is that I mean by "being". By being, I simply mean that which occurs when a self-consciousness is, whether the self engages in reflective or non-thetic absorption is irrelevant (I really need to clarify on that at some point, but as of now I am unable to correctly phrase it). Writing whatever comes to mind has always been something that comes quite naturally, and I've found poetry to be one of the more regular venues through which my thoughts pour out. What is it that causes us to question or feel to the point that we must project what is internal into an external sphere through writing (or alternative)? Heidegger feels that the poet is affected by the world such that the lightedness of Being is projected outwardly. Heidegger poses the question in "Poetry, Language, Thought": "what are poets for in a destitute time?". Destitution comes about when history swallows up the lightedness of Being, allowing what Heidegger calls an "abyss" to settle over the whole of humanity. It is in such times that the poet is forced to arise, acting "... like the wine god's holy priests, who fared from land to land in holy night." (Holderlin, IV, 190) Is it in the face of destitution that one writes and if not, what are poets for in times where destitution is either minimal or non-existent? Perhaps the question should be, rather, "what is poetry for for the poet?". Poetry quite obviously acts as a tool, but a tool for what beyond spluttering? Intuitively, I must answer negatively, thus my search for the answer shall remain unfulfilled for now, and perhaps forever. "...and the philosophical light around my window is now my joy; may I be able to keep on as I have thus far!"

For now, I think I must backtrack quite a bit and further ask, "when was it that man became self-conscious to the extent that art arose?". What I've found to be quite intriguing is the crossover that exists between ethics, philosophy of mind (and language) and anthropology, for when man began to recognize the Other, it seems man began to recognize the Self. Through this recognition, perhaps, lies the key... and if so, what thread is it that exists throughout the whole of humanity? (How do these threads build upon one another, etc. etc. etc.)

I'm quite tired and am terrible at biting off more than I am capable of chewing.

I use "quite" too much.