Hello all! I hope everyone is doing well tonight. I thought I would try my hand at defining what poetry is and means to me. Since I have been blogging again, I have had a chance to read and follow some really talented writers. Each have their own styles, ideas and motivations. By motivations, I just mean what drives them to write. For me, it’s the need to get emotions and words out I could not speak aloud. I know my poetry is simple, there are not any word tricks or clever ideas that have hidden meanings. That is not me. I have written things like that in the past, but they are not very good and just kind of meander. My poetry tends to rhyme. I know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but it fits my style. I am more influence by my music heroes more than traditional poets. That is where the rhyming comes in. Sometimes the hardest part of that is to not make it sound forced. It does limit me I suppose, but I think with the themes and ideas I write about it fits.

For me poetry only needs two things to feel organic and real. It has to be honest and it has to have meaning for the writer. The honesty can be felt, especially when one writes about the sad or bad times one has. I can see that in a lot of people’s poetry I read. You have to be honest with yourself when you write. You have to make yourself feel before you can make others feel. That is where the honesty comes in. Just bare yourself with your words. It’s therapeutic and it can make you see things in a different light. It opens you up and exposes yourself to your readers. That’s scary, but I think it is part of writing poetry. (Now I want to take a quick minute to say, I am not a poetry expert. I do not know the technical aspects of writing poetry nor any writing tricks to make it better. I just go off of what I feel and what is on my mind at the time). Poetry is personal. You do not have to be a professional to write your feelings. Your personal experiences are unique to you. Write them out. I say this to encourage people to write. Don’t be afraid to be criticized because you will be. Just write with your heart. Someone may tell you your poetry doesn’t fall into a traditional form, but that doesn’t matter. This writing for you. If you want to share your emotions and feelings, I don’t think anyone can really criticize you if you’re honest. Too many people are held back because some “experts” tell them they are not any good. Do not let that stop you. We need more people to write from their heart. Now this is all my opinion and I am sure a lot will not agree. If I can just influence one person to write and to feel good that they did it, that will make this all worth it.

Now after all of that, I think it is only fair of me to share another of my poems. This is another old one. No title, per usual with me, but it is very personal to me. I wrote this a couple of years after my mother died. I wish I could have shared it with her, but she died when I was young and I was not really sharing anything with anyone at that time. Feel free to let me know what you think. Send me a tweet! I am @MLCTaskforce.

Another year has gone by with you not here,
I can't believe just how fast time does fly.
I wish you were here to see what I've become,
I hope you can see me, looking down from the pale sky...

I should have told you I loved you more,
You deserved for all of your dreams to have come true.
Stolen from this life you loved so quickly,
The time for your celebration is long overdue.

Today I celebrate your life and all it brought everyone,
Today I cry those tears I've held in for so long.
Oh how I wish I could hug you just one more time,
And tell you just where in my heart you belong.

I stare looking into the distance, I can feel you near.
The breeze is your whisper in my childish ear.
Why are you gone when I need you these days
To guide me through all of my desperate ways.

Please forgive all the times I was so terrible,
I didn't mean to hurt you in any way.
Mine was the crime of selfish youth,
I just wish I could tell you all these things today.

And as I walk on down the road you made,
I can understand that there was once a love so true.
Never will I forget the things you have given me,
For those things, I will always love you...

I hope you enjoyed my post and my poem. Take care all! I will be writing again soon.