By The Poet’s List
How many times have you written a letter or text, only to delete if after? Sometimes we just need to vent our frustrations, share our secrets, or cop to our feelings once in order to be relieved from the emotional bondage that holds us hostage. So if it only takes one conversation to free us of some of this stress, what is it about poetry and the poets who craft it that allows a message to be encapsulated and kept?
1. They go “there.”
Allowing yourself to be overtaken emotionally can be an overwhelming experience. Whether you wish to explore the depths of your pain or fully understand your joy–you are in for a ride. Poetry is not pragmatic; at least it shouldn’t be. It is compounded with layers of unique experiences. Poets must realize that their individual journey can never ever escape a poem.
2. Emotions analyzed.
Thoughts in their rawest forms often translate in a harsh and unrefined manner. Though authentic, they are usually not the complete picture. Poets allow their thoughts and emotions to marinate, paving the way for deeply intimate depictions of their truth. They don’t just think the thought and say the thought. They consider the reasoning behind the thought.
3. The beauty of the message exists in the reflection.
Not every poem has a message. Some are simply cathartic. These poems are penned by poets who have let you in; let you into their world, their heart, their high, their low. They are descriptive and intricate. But when you stumble upon a poem that shares a message, you have been introduced to a poet who has let their own self in. This poet has grown to not only articulate their experience, but to assess what it means to them. They have challenged their own mindset. They have played devil’s advocate with their own truths. They have practiced growth through their own experience. They are a piece of work. They are not held captive by a train of thought. They will always be moving.
4. Standing in your truth.
We were each born with the ability to cater to our truths; and we need not ask for permission. Have you ever heard a poem that you disagreed with? Have you ever written a poem that you knew others would disagree with? To stand in your truth knowing that you might ultimately stand in silence is the hardest piece of art that any of us will ever have to create.
We at #ThePoetsList challenge you in 2015 to write a poem that frees you.
