How Poetry Has Shaped Who I Have Become

profile
Rubani Kaur
May 28, 2019   •  15 views

I was ten when I wrote a poem about a caged bird and her will to fly someday. It started with that – my will to fly via my words. Somehow, over the years, it became an inseparable part of my life, and undoubtedly, an essential one.

Poetry comes with its baggage, like a loved one would. But the thing is you can’t just embrace it with open arms. The intimacy between a poet and their art is fragile and sensitive. After all, it holds a part of you in it. So I have always tried to be as gentle with my words as possible.

When words don’t come to you as easily as they did, say, yesterday under a starry night sky, don’t give up on it but don’t rush it either. You need to let your mind reel a little under the deluge of your emotions to be able to print them out.

That’s the thing about poetry. It requires patience.

And from my experience, I know that poets are impatient people. Our emotions seem complex because we are in a constant state of trying to figure out why these emotions exist and what we must do with them. This is why frustration accompanies a dry spell in writing.

And guess what? That is completely normal. In fact, it is encouraged.

The value I held for poetry has only increased as I have aged. As it became more and more personal, I allowed it to take up a bigger part of my life and my headspace. If poetry hadn’t given me a chase for my, well, for my sanity, perhaps I never would have understood how much it has helped me cope with the worst of times and appreciate the best.

And, just to clear the air, I must mention that whether your poetry rhymes, flows or just exists doesn’t really make a difference. It is your voice and you are your own person which means giving someone else the right to control your voice would be defeating the very purpose of living. I have written poems that rhymed and then after an enlightening workshop, I began to write poems that don’t. I have enjoyed both forms because they were both my voice.

I have spilled my guts on word documents and poetry journals, and, trust me when I say this, looking back, I have loved every second of it. So that is how poetry has changed me and my life. It has made me love more fiercely and feel more deeply – not just words but people and myself.

And the best thing about writing poetry is the fact that, once it enters your life, it most definitely is there to stay.

4



  4

Profile of Anindita
Anindita  •  4y  •  Reply
Beautiful content!