Poetry

              The minute you say poetry, some people instantly turn their interests elsewhere. It is almost like a mental wall comes down instantly. For some, the reaction is that of slight interest, a take it or leave it attitude, and then there are those who like poetry in all its forms. Why would poetry be a topic of communication and conversation on a spiritual website? It is a frame for words, either one that is structured or one that is free flowing, seemingly without structure. As with any kind of writing, there is poetry that makes us think, that makes us feel, and even makes us wish we'd never read it. The poet needs to express feelings and thoughts in words which communicate those feelings and thoughts as a bridge to another's understanding. Sometimes those thoughts are not very clear and we wonder what was in the poet's mind, but it is still a bridge from one to another.

             Life is poetry. We live it within a frame, for the most part, but forsome, there is little framework. We create it, we speak it, we think it, and we communicate in many different ways. As with the writing of poetry, the daily life created by each person is sometimes done with skill and some days we wish we'd never lived it. Too many people live life from day to day as some type of routine to go through without any attempt to create any new thoughts of expression. Each day's poetry becomes a link to the next day's new creation until we have a book of poetry. Too much sameness becomes boring and takes away the zest that can be in life, and the opportunity to create each day.

              All poetry does not have to rhyme, it does not have to follow a certain format and it shouldn't do so, for we are each different in our living and in our writing of that life. Writing skills can be improved and the creation of poetry can be improved upon to the extent of the person's skill, so too, can life be created and improved upon. We need to look at our life in a daily way as a chance to create. Creating positively is creating a poem to be remembered. Creating negatively is in a sense a bad poem. No one likes the same kind of poetry all the time. There is always a need for variety, something that makes us think. Life should be varied enough to instill in us a desire to change our 'poetry', to write it in such a way that the overall book of life becomes well written. We do not have to feel that we have to have a particular talent, for each person's poetry, each person's life, is unlike any other, and in living it well, the poetry of life sings its song.