Friday, July 29, 2011

Many People Come to Poetry...

...on their knees. They use it to write through a tragedy or depression. It helps them. Many people stay with it, even if they didn't write before.

Poetry is cleansing because you whittle down feelings to the essence. If every word in a short story is gold, words in poetry are platinum. And, while you may feel something after you read a novel, poetry is supposed to do it with urgency; it is a stealth team with wrecking balls.

I didn't come to poetry sad. I found it early in life when I was exploring everything. It was wonderful and I was joyous. I love the freedom of some poetry and the lassoing constriction of forms which stretch you. It is my favorite thing to write.

I have written sad before. But I also write during every phase. Great poetry is penned through all emotions and times. Keeping poetry in the closet of depression is doing it a disservice.

When are you inspired to write poetry? If you don't write poetry, why not?

4 comments:

  1. I don't write poetry because I have little talent for it. However, that doesn't mean I don't love the poets of the world. My favorites are Sylvia Plath and Maya Angelou. Of course I do love Browning and Frost. And I find myself looking at the lyrics of songs as they are oftentimes poetry set to music. You poets of the world make earth a better place and I am thankful for you.

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  2. The first sentence of your post is a poem in its own right!

    One of the things that draws me most to poetry is the process of digging down and distilling an experience or emotion to its very essence. My hyper-analytical tendencies kick into overdrive with a constructive purpose for a change. Any feeling, thought or event that I find myself dwelling on is a possible poem. Some, of course, take much more time and energy than others. I think of it as expressing (or seeking to express) the truth without relying on actual facts.

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  3. Poetry and writing came to me early in life. I am very connected to my poetry. My musings hit me anywhere, anytime about any subject. I try to write it down as fast as I can so I don't lose the train of thought.

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  4. I write about everything, anything. Sometimes, it is like watching a train drenched in fire slam into a tornado. Perhaps, it is because they sound the same...

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