I think it’s pretty safe to say, reading any entry in my blog, is like opening a box of chocolates…you just never really know what you’re gonna get.
And today is no exception.
Even though I consider myself a lover of words – both in their physical form (I come from a long line of serious doodlers) and their metaphorical…(I’m pretty good at that ‘magical, cross-connection’ thing I mentioned in yesterday’s post, if I say so myself) and even though I love to read (I’m a Prime member at Amazon which, btw, is TOTALLY worth it), and own, not one, but two Kindles (they keep coming out with newer versions!) and even though I’m truly inspired by those who do ‘it’ – I’ve never made a qualified attempt at writing poetry.
Are you surprised?
A bit disappointed?
Well, I plan to rectify that very soon.
Recently (as in like yesterday) I’ve had the pleasure of reading the blogs of some new followers who are ‘into’ that sort of thing, i.e. poetry and song writing (cool, huh?). And, let me just say right now…the blogosphere is such an amazing thing – I’m fairly new to it all, but, the idea that so many individuals are able to come together, share, inspire and gather feedback from one another – instantly – is huge. No longer do we have to feel as though we’re alone in the world of our thoughts and ideas – no longer separated from others who do what we do. I think it’s great and I’m really glad to be part of it. And to be able to offer something to someone (someone you may not have even met), someone who knows nothing about you, but who thinks what you have to say is worth listening to …is truly rewarding.
“In a gentle way, you can shake the world” – Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948).
So…in true Light Blue fashion…I searched the internet (Amazon specifically) and found a book that I think I just may have to have.
See if these words (from the book, Writing Poetry from the Inside Out: Find Your Voice through the Craft of Poetry, by Sandford Lyne) don’t make you want to jump right in and give poetry a try yourself!
This much I know: things happen when you work sincerely at a poem.
What kinds of things?
Wonderful things.
Certainly you are not the same person after working at a poem that you were before you began. The circle of your awareness has grown, by a mite or a mile. When you work at a poem, new pleasures unfold; creative energies begin to flow. The brain, which in our culture works mostly out of discrete compartments, recomposes itself and becomes a tapestry of unleashed and united energies. Public thoughts get together with private thoughts; public feelings get together with private feelings; and these unite with our imaginations, with our sensual memories, with our symbolic thinking and our dreams.
Time lengthens and slows down. To work at a poem is to enter a sacred and timeless space, the field of infinite possibilities. It is a place of silences wherein the chief activities are watching and listening. …all the attributes essential – conviction, patience, stillness, attentiveness, intuition, curiosity, experimentation, and acquired knowledge and skills – are exactly the attributes of the poet. In the silences, associations and connections are assembled. Nature itself, which nourishes your body and provides you with sensual experiences, may now present itself to you as symbol, and nourish your soul.
The one who you were as a child reappears, and the marriage of the innocence and experience takes place. Invitations for a great reunion go out; writing a poem is like calling the scattered children of your heart, your mind, your emotions, your memories, your dreams, all to come in to supper at the same time, perhaps for the first time in years. In this moment, your life becomes an examined life (Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”) and begins to offer up its meanings. With courage and honesty you initiate yourself as an artist seeker, a lifelong learner, a worker in depth, in vertical perceptions, in discovered truths.
The path of the poet is indeed a master’s path. When you work at writing poems, you are no longer merely a reader of poets but their apprentice, their student, their colleague and compatriot in the country of poetry and its myriad kingdoms. Journeys and adventures begin.
All this is to say that, for the person who works at writing poems, life is never again the same. Seeing is not the same. Hearing is not the same. Thinking is not the same. Remembering is not the same. And dreaming is not the same. Everything is bigger; everything is more palpable.
After writing a dozen poems, you are going to say, “I’m going to need a bigger life”. Or you may think, “My life is bigger than I ever knew”. And it is, both wondrous and dangerous, requiring your vigilant attention and your courage and ultimately rewarding you beyond your dreams.
Yes, things happen when you work sincerely at a poem and the only thing better than writing a poem is to write countless poems over a lifetime.
If you haven’t already…perhaps it is time to begin.
Sandford Lyne, a poet and national poetry workshop leader, offers the writing exercises, guidance, and encouragement you need to find the poet inside you. His techniques flow from an understanding that poetry is an art form open to everyone – whether you are an experienced writer looking for new techniques and sources of inspiration or a novice poet who has never written a poem in your life – the book will help you to craft the poems you’ve always longed to write.