What role did poetry play in Jack Kerouac’s work?

Poetry was integral to Jack Kerouac’s creative process, serving as both a distinct literary pursuit and a structural influence on his prose. While he is often defined by his "spontaneous bop prosody," Kerouac was a prolific poet who experimented with traditional forms like sonnets and odes, as well as the idioms of blues and jazz in works such as Mexico City Blues.1

His approach to language was deeply poetic; he utilized alliteration and assonance to govern the rhythm of his writing, often comparing his technique to a jazz musician blowing a long, continuous note. Kerouac also pioneered an "American haiku" tradition, redefining the form to prioritize simplicity and imagery over strict syllable counts. He frequently incorporated these haiku into his novels, such as The Dharma Bums, and used them as "bridges" to connect sections of prose in Desolation Angels. Ultimately, his poetic sensibility allowed him to treat time in his writing as less linear and more rhythmic, reflecting his quest for a pure, unadulterated expression of truth.21