Poetry

What do you think poetry is? Is it the arrangement of words that sound nice together or is it something more profound? I think that poetry is a paradoxical form of art. It can be read by millions of people but only a few seem to truly grasp its meaning. Perhaps that is the beauty of poetry, the way it can hint at something much deeper than what is explicitly stated. The way it leaves room for interpretation. It is as if poetry is a mirror that reflects not only the poet's emotions but also the reader's.

But what about those times when the pen is put aside and the page is opened and nothing comes to mind? How do you explain something that you can't even put into words? It's a frustrating feeling but it's also a challenge. How can you convey your exact emotions, your exact feelings in a way that others will understand? Is it possible to fit an entire ocean into a small bottle? The truth is, there are no easy answers when it comes to poetry. It's a language that requires lots of patience, skill and an openness to interpretation. Those who read poetry are often searching for something - a deeper meaning, a hidden message, a connection with the author and yet, they know that they may never fully understand what the poet was trying to say. It's a strange and wonderful paradox - the more you try to understand poetry, the more elusive it becomes.

But what about the poet? What drives someone to put their deepest emotions on the page for every one to see? What I believe is that poetry is often seen as a form of therapy. Those who write poetry are often trying to let out the things that they've been bottling up inside. They want to express their emotions in a way that is meaningful and cathartic and poetry is the perfect medium for that and yet, even when they let it all out, there’s always more to say and more to feel. The work is never done and the poem is never finished and yet, despite all of this, people still write. They write not for fame or recognition but for themselves. They write because they have something inside of them that needs to be expressed, something that can only be said through the complexity of language.