I have been writing poetry for as long as I could remember. I date it back to middle school when we wrote poems for English class. It has stuck with me ever since then. I always credit my 8th grade English teacher, Mr. Rose, for encouraging me to keep writing. People must wonder why I write, especially poetry.
The answer is very complex, but it makes sense to people who are the closest to me and it obviously makes complete sense to one person…That person would be me. I do not write poetry just for the heck of it, although I write a lot when I have nothing else to do. I write it for myself. I write it because it helps me make sense of what I am feeling, especially deep down inside. For other people, it is like writing in a journal or listening to music. It is therapeutic and soothing.
As a person who is, for the most part shy, unless she is around people she really knows, it has always been an important part of my life… the writing of poetry. I know that I have a hard time expressing how I feel, especially out loud and writing poetry has helped me break out of that shell. Writing is the best way to say what I need to say without feeling bad about it. In fact, it feels rewarding and freeing, especially if I am dealing with a bad situation or if I am otherwise weighted down. I write regardless if I am happy, sad, angry, mad, frustrated, etc. It is my way of coping with everything. I always try to carry around a notepad and pencil just in case if I get any inspiration. I even write notes on my iPhone.
In this world, you do not necessarily have to be a poet or a writer. As David Carradine says “If you cannot be a poet, be the poem.” In other words, we can all be writers and poets, but it matters more what you write and the content because it shows we have something to say or at least that is how I interpret that quote. People can disagree with me all they want to. I am leaving it open to interpretation.
To be a poet/writer you have to be open, especially to criticism, the ability to have guts and being vulnerable. That is what makes your writing better and more honest. I feel like honesty is the best policy. You choose what you get to write about. Natalie Goldberg says “Write about what disturbs you, what you fear, what you have not been willing to speak about. Be willing to be split open.” In conclusion, when you are writer and Natalie is saying this as well, you have to be fearless and be willing to anything/everything. So I strongly encourage all of my readers to write, draw or whatever it is that expresses who you are and what you have to say. I promise you that it will be worthwhile in the end. It gives you a chance to be yourself or you can be someone else like in theatre and acting. That is the reason why I like theatre as well. There are simply no rules and you can do it any way you want to. Here are two pieces just to show similarities and differences. Enjoy!!
Writing
I get so lost in the words that I write.
The rest of the world fades away as
The words spill out like ink on paper
And beautiful images begin forming.
I do not notice the daylight bleeding
Into the darkness. Everybody talks
Their solitude and this is mine.
The paper listens to me and my pen
Is waiting for my command.
Here, nobody tells me the rules
Or how to write or what to write.
I listen to what my head and my
Heart tell me. Every story comes
To life and it captivates me.
Spilled Words
Words spilling out on a blank piece
Of canvas and images tumbling
Out. The doubt will stop and cease
Just for a moment. Thoughts stumbling
And lagging behind are catching up to
Me. Things that were once crumbling
To the floor like ash are rising up to you,
The one who never truly understands
Unless you know me. My long-lasting blue
Sky is different than yours. The strands
Running through my fingertips would never
Make sense to you. Hang onto my hands
So you know what I feel, but forever
Feels like a long time ago. Catch onto my
Every word. It will take however
Long it needs to for you to get why I cry
And the reasons why I write. Everything
I create are my friends. They make me less shy.