The Power of Poetry
May 3, 2023
Poetry is not only a wonderful thing to analyze in English class ( that was sarcasm ), but it’s even better to actually write it. We are all used to having to dive deep into poems and write the deeper meaning, the symbolism, but when you just put some pen to paper, you can create a lovely poem that expresses all the emotions you might be feeling. I know from personal experience as well as from a podcast from the Student Reporting Labs called On Our Minds when they interviewed poet Chen-Chen.
I’ll start with a few notes from the podcast, “ So, yeah, poetry and mental health, I think for me it’s a part of how I process experiences for sure” and he also says “ I think I write in order to allow myself to be more vulnerable and more honest. Because even though it might seem like, Oh, I’m sharing things very directly in poems, or it might seem like there isn’t a lot of effort behind that, there is. I go through a lot of drafts, a lot of revisions, a lot of false starts and starting over and rethinking how to approach a subject.”
Similarly, this is how I feel when writing poetry. I feel like my experiences and emotions are just easily transferring right onto paper. Often when I feel anything strongly it just seems so relieving to get it out, but it is also calming to write it in a lyrical poetic format. It kind of romanticizes the experience while also letting me take a second to breathe and think it over. In addition, when I go back to poems I can read them and remember how I felt. It is like my own personal time capsule.
Another really therapeutic part of writing poetry is sharing it, when you show it to people it is like explaining something without really explaining it, it is like a nice way to show them a little window into your heart. I love seeing people, mainly my friends, read it and kind of look at me and ask questions like “oh is this part about so and so” or “omg I love the way you wrote this I totally relate”. It’s nice to see they feel the same way and understand my poems.
We all have a few issues in our life and some things are harder to process or deal with than others, but with poetry or really any creative outlet it can really help to let out your feelings or thoughts in a healthy safe way that expresses them in a more or less direct way.
As an example, here are some poems I wrote:
Lies
Why did you lie?
When I asked if you were fine
Why did you smile so sweet, so genuine?
Why did you feel the need to hide?
I wish I could have seen how you were fighting inside
I wish you hadn’t lied
You had a smile that could brighten a day
Who knew that same smile couldn’t keep the darkness at bay
If only it were a lie
When they said you were gone
If only it were all a lie
If only your story wasn’t done.
Are u ok?
“ Are you okay?”
Such a simple phrase
But I wish they wouldn’t ask when
I’m trying to be brave
“ Are you okay?”
The words are like a break in the dam
Because deep down i know the answer
So do my glittering tears
Forming in my eyes
Suddenly my visions fuzzy
Nothing is clear
“ Are you okay?”
What can I say
I never know if the truth
is really what they’re after
But it’s getting hard
To hold back the emotions
They keep flooding in faster
“Are you ok?”
No, not really
But you could probably already tell
That must be why you asked
You saw the tears begin to well
You noticed my breathing
An attempt to control my feelings
Maybe because you too aren’t alright
“Are YOU ok?”
Now that you’ve seen a few of mine, get out there and put a pencil to some paper or type it out on a computer so you can take a deep breath and feel a little better.
Check out this podcast for more info:
