Poetry
I often wonder: is poetry something to write when feeling sad? I don’t really feel the need to write it anymore, although I love writing and dedicating poems to others.
It’s bizarre, I do want to write, but just too many happy thoughts fly across and make it very hard to come up with the right words. Words that express my emotions. Words that tell the story. As if walking away from my path would be the only way to clear my mind.
Difficult to imagine …
December 29th, 2008 at 22:20
hello,
I came across your blog amidst quite a lengthy exploration of tao-related material on the net. I’m new to it but I’ve enjoyed what I have discovered so far.
When it comes to writing poetry, I’ve always noticed how much time I invest in thoughts, feelings and memories and then worrying about the adverse effects of putting myself through it. So I can completely relate to the predicament of writing one. Over the years I’ve learnt to let go of the expectations I have of myself both as an artist and a writer. But in doing so I’ve discovered that I’m not ’suffering’ the way a creative person is ’supposed’ to. After all you’re supposed to suffer for your art right?
Feeling happy makes us feel light, empty. There are less thoughts swimming around in our heads. We feel free.
Try writing a haiku. Or writing a poem within a tight structure. Think of it as a needle teasing out a stitch, gently unravelling a particular image, thought, feeling.
I think my suggestion was more to myself than it was to you but nevertheless I hope it helps.
I’m going to read some of your poetry now.
Regards and best wishes for the new year
Khairun
January 5th, 2009 at 20:47
Thank you, khairum. Perhaps your words were exactly what I needed to hear (sometimes at least).
I often try to live up to expectations that are, I’m quite confident about that, beyond my reach, beyond me possibilities. Maybe it’s better to realize that easy becomes difficult the more we think about something. Maybe I should let it all run freely and see what gives.
January 18th, 2009 at 4:46
I know where you’re coming from. Back in my angst-filled 20s & early 30s, I wrote a tremendous amount of poetry. Once I got my head screwed on properly and the outlook for my life totally changed, I’ve hardly written any poetry since.
It’s, of course, possible to write poetry when one is happy, but much of poetry is taking sorrow and misery to transform it into something artistic and, hopefully, positive. So, if the happiness is already present, maybe you no longer need a tool to sustain your transformation.
April 17th, 2009 at 1:59
I think poetry is like anything else you do in life… Live…So than poetry is like doing.. feeling/thinking and putting that on paper or speaking it out loud.