Writing poetry is an art, a way of expression, finding meaning in few words. A melody of passion flowing out onto the pages, words that flow into each other and yet express the inner most thoughts and feelings of those who read the words. Writing poetry is a gift, a wonderful gift, being able to illuminate words so that they form a picture, express a feeling and share a thought in so few words. Unlike telling a story or writing a novel that explains every intricate detail a poem leaves you to draw your own conclusion. Writing poetry can be a healing process, putting down on paper all the emotions locked up inside ones head, a way of remembering and a way of re-living. Poetry has many forms from free verse to sonnet but all poems tell a story, a story of words, words wrapped around each other in such away that they flow together, locked in meaning. The poem below is titled “Playing” and every time I read this poem I cannot help but smile, as too will any mother reading this poem. See if you smile.
Playing
Running gently
Screams of laughter
Looking back
I see you smile
Golden hair
Such bright blue eyes
Once a baby
In my arms
Laughing harder
Running around
Two years old
I feel so proud
Golden hair
And eyes so blue
You call “Mummy Mummy”
Come play too
Poetry can also portray emotions of hurt and betrayal, unrequited love, loss and great suffering. Just putting these feelings onto paper helps to unburden the mind and the heart. Off loading the grief, if only for a moment. The next two poems titled “Dreams” and “Suicide” display emotions of loss and sorrow. They are a complete contrast to the above poem “Playing” filled with laughter and happiness.
Dreams
Crystal moons
And dancing stars
Images of place
So near yet so far
Staring for hours
As the night passes by
My life at a standstill
I painfully cry
No grand illusions
No place to go
Destined to stay here
This I now know
Lost are the dreams
You and me side by side
Gone now forever
With you they died
The power to suppress
The pain and the loss
The tears and the sadness
The grief inside
Lying there
Dormant
Sleep please, oh sleep
The memories suppressed
No power to deal
With the pain that you caused
The gap no one can fill
Your selfish act
Leaves me broken
Afraid to love
Afraid to live
Through suppression I survive
Suicide not only killed you
Many of the worlds great poets wrote about loss and pain, Shakespeare’s Sonnets spoke of love “Shall I compare thee to a Summer’s Day” and Emily Dickinson’s poetry was about death “Because I could not stop for death, He kindly stopped for me”, all contained great emotions and sadness that could be felt by the reader. Having the ability to express yourself with poetry is an exceptional gift, one that should be embraced and nurtured. The Internet provides a vast amount of poetry sites where you can submit your poetry for critique and review. You can join workshops and receive expert help and advice or even help others. There are also numerous courses available via distance learning that you can take. Learning as much as you can about the art of poetry, will greatly increase your chances of becoming a recognised poet.
Expressing emotions through the art of poetry can be very daunting. Poems will always be clear to the author it is only when the reader understands the meaning that it can truly be called a poem.
Amanda Evans is webmaster for http://www.amandawrites.com a website dedicated to helping others achieve their dreams of becoming writers. You can subscribe to the free monthly newsletter Writers Passion. Amanda Evans is also the author of the newly published “From Those Death Left Behind” a collection of poetry and stories describing the grief and emotions of a family that lost a member to suicide. This book can be purchased at http://www.lulu.com/content/120733
What do you think about this article? Do you agree or disagree with it? Be the first to comment on this article, and share your thoughts with the world. No registration is required to post comments.
Poetry is very much an art. That means that writing poetry entails exploration and practice. More than that, though, the exploriation involved in writing poetry can be very enlightening. There are words...
What do you do when you want to write poetry? I hope your answer is "I start writing." Even writing a bad poem is better than waiting for the "right words." You can always throw it away, and the process has...
Tatiana Pietrzak's The Music is Written is a riveting compilation of poetry that strives to journey into the world of music, sounds, and rhythm. Pietrzak's subject selection for her poetry is fascinating...
"Retired professor of Microbiology, Harry Gilleland certainly
has a variety of experiences and thought-provoking insights
to share in his latest poetry book, Gilleland Poetry -
Storoems and Poems....
Is poetry too complicated for the average reader? Is it too cryptic, scholarly? If you ask a large group of average people what they like or don't like about poetry, you'll get a few different answers...
For me, poetry is often too obtuse and difficult for me to get into. Whether it is the abstract metaphors, or difficult line structure, I end up struggling more than I would like to. And if I struggle too...
The most popular style of our time is the 'free verse' style. This form originated in the late 19th century, with Walt Whitman being credited for it. Before this form was introduced, poetry was restricted...
In Poetry: Meaning of WordsWhen I write poetry, I check out the meaning of words for too often they sound the same, but once written, and if spelled wrong, in consequence, give a complete different meaning...
To many people contemporary poetry is a turn-off. The reason for this is that the majority of these poems are boring. They are so because they fail to enable people to identify with them. The bulk of...
Do you ever stare at the paper, waiting for poetic inspiration? Well, you can stop waiting and start using systematic techniques for creating poetry. If it seems too mechanical or artificial at first, ...
Urdu is a language rich in colors, customs, traditions and culture. This language has adopted words from the Muslims culturally strong back ground of the subcontinent, Persian, Turks and Arabs. Therefore...
Down the ages, human emotions have found great expressions through the tradition of gifting flowers or bouquets. Flowers and bouquets have acted as great presents for birthdays and anniversaries, and are...
In early fall, in Minnesota, the rain falls, falls,
In buckets, buckets and more buckets-: drops
Likened to music from its many streams-land
Of ten-thousand lakes; moistened gravel...
On through the darkness she searches the bones
Seeking the hand of her love;
Deep in the stillness, the maid searches on,
Petitioning help from above.
Onward she gropes through the flesh and the blood
Of...
Romance is conveyed in so many different ways.One less commonly used is the medium of poetry. Sometimes words penned on the page put across our feelings to someone else so deeply that we are moved to...
On July 17, 2005 Cahuenga Press released Undercurrent Blues by James Cushing (Cahuenga is a cooperative press and Undercurrent Blues is the 14th book they have published since their inception in 1989). The...
Storm Rising along the Lima Coast
[Summer of 2002]...wind was blowing furiously
It never left for a moment
Bursts of fury
I found it difficult to keep
My feet placed, thus,
I clung to my knees
For...
In the quiet of the arctic night-
In its deep northern skies,
Dim are the lights, in its coldEvening frost...!
Even the stars of the arctic
Seem silently stone frozen!Here, here is where you find
Peace and the
House of the Goblin
[Part Two of Three]Here is where, where the air is stillAnd the mountains shadows disappear!
Here is where, unnumbered spirits dwellWhere harp and memory expire...Where the...
Overcoming death and beginning once again to live is the one thing that we never anticipate can happen after we have experienced death. The truth is, however, that whether we like it or not life continues on.
Article: Expressing An Emotion - The Art Of Writing Poetry Author: Amanda Evans Publication Date: 2007-05-29 Total Views: 1,329 Word Count: 684 Category:Home /
Entertainment / Poetry
Categories
