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CT - Purpose of Poetry
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CT - Purpose of Poetry |
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Nicole Senior Member
since 1999-06-23
Posts 1835Florida 
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What is the purpose of poetry? Indeed, that is quite a question. To take the question further, what is the purpose of MY poetry? Such a question requires thought, for I have never really concentrated on the ‘why’ – it has always just ‘been’. I will broaden the question a bit; what is the purpose of my writing? My choice of the term ‘writing’ as opposed to ‘poetry’ is simply due to the fact that only a small portion of the words that escape my mind and land on paper are poetry, or could be considered as such. Truly, my knowledge of that which poetry is comprised of leaves much to be desired. All in all, my prime purpose for writing is selfish. I write for myself; my main drives being the expression of my feelings and emotions, the unencumbered channel of release it provides, and finally for recollection and learning. Love, what a wonderful and dreadful thing it is…along with the happy handbag of emotions and feelings that go with it. When I love someone, it seems that I develop a sense of empathy for that person. When they are happy I am happy, and when they are sad I am sad. I very much want to right the wrongs and make the rights much more right. One way for me to show them this is to write it down, in either poetry or prose. Sometimes I feel that this conveys my feelings and emotions much clearer, and when it makes a connection with them…well, it makes me very happy. This also goes with any emotion I may be feeling at the time. If I write an opposing argument to someone’s opinion, and it happens to broaden his or her view of the subject, it gives me a sense of accomplishment. I love a good debate, when each side respects the other’s view. It all really boils down to the ability to express myself, my feelings. When I have conveyed a message and it has been received and understood, then I feel good. There are times; however, when I do not wish to share my thoughts with anyone but feel an incessant need to release them somehow. When I share my work with others, I am always ready for criticism or an opposing view. Everyone is entitled to have thoughts, feelings, and etc. that they do not wish to have critiqued, and for that reason I have always kept a journal. My journal does not get offended; neither does it talk back, nor tell me what I should and should not think. Hundreds of pristine white lined pages just lay in wait for me to go off on a tirade. The subject matter and grammar are of no consequence, which leaves me to a complete unencumbered release. I will not speak for anyone but myself when I say that such a release is something I very much need in order to stay on friendly terms with Sanity. And lastly, but certainly not of least importance, is my need for recollection and learning. There are times in my life, such as now, when I am hard pressed to find anything worth feeling good about. I walk around with Murphy’s Law stamped on my forehead. In times such as these, it is a great comfort to be able to pull out a journal or poem from a time past when I was on cloud nine. The recollection of happiness gives me hope, and I can go through my present life knowing one day it will get better. My words provide me with the ability to refocus and appreciate things that I begin to take for granted. Another thing they give me is the opportunity to better my writing and myself. I can look at the format of a poem written years ago, and try and improve on its format, or style. I absolutely love to learn, and I try and view all things as a great learning process. I just found out what a sonnet is, but now I want to know its mechanics. How does one write a sonnet… or a haiku, or free verse? What made the masters great? As I have stated before, my knowledge of poetry in general is lacking. So many questions, so few hours between the time my kids go to bed and I hit the sack. Expression, release, recollection, and learning…those are what drive me to write. The expression of my thoughts in written form is one of my favorite means of communication and salvation. Writing is something that I will, more likely than not, do until the day I can no longer hold a pen. ------------------ "Grief can take care of itself, but to get the full value of joy you must have somebody to divide it with." *Mark Twain* |
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Poet deVine
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-26
Posts 22612Hurricane Alley |
You have a mastery of the written word! I enjoy reading your work as it reflects the way I feel most of the time. I admire you for keeping a journal..I tried once and gave it up - my life is so boring!  |
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DreamEvil Member Elite
since 1999-06-22
Posts 2396 |
Your writing is simply captivating. I tend to scan and speed read many things. This one however, required most of my attention and a re-read. I have never tried keeping a journal, does it truly help that much? ------------------ Shall I indulge in flights of fancy hampered by clipped wings? DreamEvil© |
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