Why I write poetry

Until very recently, about a year ago, I’ve only ever read ( which means read seriously, read a lot) fiction and non-fiction. I am one of very few who has a degree in Literature but only ever took one poetry course. I’ve only ever imagined myself to be a writer. Of fiction and non-fiction. But I’ve always kept a notebook with little one-liners, thoughts, metaphors, etc that have come to me at moments of insight, rage, being overwhelmed, etc. 

However, I started getting dissatisfied with the narrowness of fiction in terms of being able to express a multitude of emotions and exploring a multitude of themes. In fiction, you need to commit to a theme and follow through on it over the next 30 or 300 pages. But I wanted more. I wanted to read about, express and experience more than one thing. Sometimes two or three of four emotions, all at once.

At about the same time, I ‘discovered’ poetry, i.e. I started reading poetry more consistently and seriously. I began to love the succinctness yet enormity of feelings, thoughts, observations it allowed for. There is almost not a day that I don’t read a poem that encompasses the universe in four lines - a hyperbole, of course, but not far from the truth.

I suddenly saw a way to use my one-liners and make them into poems. Poetry allows me to express the multitude of thoughts and emotions that fiction doesn’t. I am learning every day how to use it more effectively,

I can’t imagine now not reading at least one poem with my morning coffee or not writing a poem at times of distress or deep love. 

 

Detail 3

Nulla lectus ante, consequat et ex eget, feugiat tincidunt metus. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.

Detail 4

Vivamus sit amet semper lacus, in mollis libero. Suspendisse nec congue purus.

 
The Writers’ Journal is brimming with beautiful poems, interesting memoirs and engrossing short stories. And I’m lucky enough that my story ‘Gone’ is featured in this edition, titled ‘Live and Learn.’ It is ava
Repost doesn’t work atm for nefarious or other reasons. Screenshot as a reminder how important ceasefire is. #people_demand_peace_in_gaza
This month, for the #1world12books challenge, I chose zone 3 - North-East Asia - and read Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien. I have never before reached the end of the year and thought, ‘THIS is my book of the year!’ Until
The rule of six I first heard about the rule of six from the fabulous writer and teacher John Claude Bemis @johnclaudebemis . It was a great way to help me along with many of the issues in my writing. Since then, I’ve found out that it’s
The Water Cure is quite a bizarre book, but in a good way. A family consisting of parents and three daughters lives on an island as a haven from toxicity that has swept the rest of the world. This is implied, as are a lot of other things. What exac
A writer, recently divorced, gets on a plane to go to Athens to teach a one-week writing workshop. On the plane, she meets an ageing man telling her his life story. This is repeated over the course of the book with other people she meets - her stu
My November #bookstackchallenge I’m finally jumping on the Elif Shafak train. Excited to see what it’s like. Middlemarch is a re-read and a slow read. It’s just too big to take anywhere but to bed.
Do you read different books depending on the mood/location/time of the day? This is my reading day at the moment: Morning coffee with a dash of Cohen. Trip to and from train with Angela in my ear. On the train with Diana Reid. In bed with G
This month, for the #1world12books challenge, I chose zone 8 - WEST and CENTRAL AFRICA - and read Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi It spans three continents and eight generations, telling the story of slavery and its continuing effects, from its origins in
Show, don’t tell Every single person who has ever engaged in creative writing will have heard this mantra. The most famous example of what that means is Anton Chekhov’s advice: ‘Don’t tell me the moon is shining. Show me the