The Art of Poetry
Poems were where I started. A short poem about how quickly the holidays and days off were going. I was 13. After that I had an itch to write more. A means to express myself. I had kept everything in, so much that I needed a form to release it. I didn’t immediately start writing in earnest. I tried my hand at a few more poems, but it was around halfway through Freshman year that I wrote heavily.
I wrote about being lonely. I wrote about being bullied. I wrote about how beautiful the sky was. Every single piece had a mountain of emotions behind it. How I loathed school and wished to be free of the prison like walls. Of course, reading some now can make what I felt seem juvenile. Perhaps it was. I was a teenager and hormones were raging. Surely some feelings were a tad over exaggerated.
At the time, however, the feelings were very real and strong. Poetry was a way to put those emotions into words. Perhaps to explain it or to make sense of it all. I still use poetry to describe strong feelings to this day. From death to life, poetry has remained a constant. After taking creative writing courses in ACCC I was able to grasp a better rhythm and format. But the content remained the same.
While some may find poetry too short or pretentious, I find it gets to the point in a very strong sense. Besides, there are poems that go on for novel length pages. But the ones that provide a real picture, accompanied by strong emotional conveyance, is a poem well done. Short or long, poetry is an artform. One that allowed me to keep moving forward. It was my gateway to writing. My suggestion to you is give poetry a try if you have not done so already. Both reading and writing it. My favorite poem is George Gray by Edgar Lee Masters. It is a beautiful poem that stood out and spoke to me many years ago. Poems, sometimes short and sweet, other times long and powerful. Give them a go, you will not be disappointed.
