I’ve been writing poetry since seventh grade. I had no experience with it at all when I first started. I had a homework assignment that required us to write a poem about life. I don’t remember what class had me write a poem, It was a long time ago. I ended up finishing the assignment in less in twenty minutes, turned it in the next day, got asked by the teacher to stay after class was over, and mentioned that it was the best poem that she had read. To this day I still write poetry.
So the question is, why don’t I post poetry every day? Because when I write, it’s something that can’t be rushed. I’ve noticed that when I rush it, the quality of the poem suffers, and I end up having to rewrite the whole poem. Another reason is due to burnout. At one point I used to write every day, though I noticed that as time went on, I started to run out of ideas. Eventually, I started to force myself to write, and I started to hate writing. I suffered a burnout as a result and had no inspiration at all to write.
When it comes to writing, I have to be inspired. If I try and do it without any kind of inspiration, it does not work out well. It’s like trying to turn on a car without any gas, you are not going to get anywhere. I’m not sure if anyone has this issue, but when it comes to writing poems, I want to be sure that the reader can relate to it. I feel like if the reader can’t relate to it, I failed. While I tend to do fun poems from time to time, I also tend to write about the human condition such as life, death, and aspiration to name a few.
I’ve been asked in the past if I would ever teach poetry, My answer is no, and here is why:
1. I am not qualified to teach people how to write poetry. I make mistakes and errors when it comes to poems, I don’t have a degree in English so I would be a horrible teacher when it comes to teaching writing.
2. While I may have a certain style when it comes to poems, it will not work for everyone. For example, I tend to mix both free verse and rhyme, however, this may not work for someone else. The best thing that I can tell you is to find something that fits you. There are many different styles of poetry such as Sonnet, Haiku, and Terza Rima.
If I had to explain why I do poetry in my spare time, it is because it allows me to express myself and empty out any thoughts that are in my head. It allows me to vent out my true emotions and keep my sanity in check in the process. The final reason is that if I can at least show one person that there is light in a darkened world, then I know I did alright.
