POETRY INTIMIDATING? IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE!

For one reason or another many of us are intimidated by poetry therefore skipping over the genre altogether. I was certainly not immune to this way of thinking and until I started to write poetry I remained in this camp. When I started writing I kept a journal and wrote...a lot...and still do. I had much to express and a pen and paper were my best friends and still are. Quite by happenstance I began writing poetry. I suppose I needed another way to release bottled up feelings and was led to the poetic verse. I had never written poetry before but it developed quickly and naturally. There are many different types of poetry and most of us are familiar with this short list: rhymes, sonnets, ballads and limericks. In my case, I had such a strong need to get my words on paper I didn’t bother sticking with a particular type. You could say ignorance was bliss for I just wrote what I felt and subsequently it was very freeing. Much like visual art, poems are very interpretive. You stand in front of a canvas or a sculpture and the piece speaks to us differently based on our own individual history. Poetry is much the same. It is a form of expression that doesn’t have to be heavily analyzed. There is no wrong way to write it or interpret it, just like when you are gazing at that canvas or sculpture. Ultimately, when we keep our minds clear and remove any preconceived beliefs of how this literary medium is to be interpreted, we leave room for the beauty of poetry. Yes, we may be challenged but we will always be handsomely rewarded in how it unveils our inner selves. Now what are you waiting for? Go for it!