Poetry is a passion of mine, it is my way of unscrambling the messed up areas of my life into a somewhat organized picture in my mind. It has proven to be a release valve for me throughout many of my life’s triumphs and tribulations. I have awakened from a deep sleep, jumped out of bed and have begun scribbling words onto a piece of paper, almost an obsession at times but always fulfilling.
I remember the first poem I ever wrote, it was in 8th grade for an English assignment. As I began writing, I was amazed at how the words took on a life of their own. Up until that moment, I had never considered how writing my thoughts and feelings down could make me feel. Afterwards, I was constantly scribbling verses and lines and it became part of my daily routine. Throughout my high school years of melodrama, I would write these poetic words as a release for the turmoil in my life and thus writing became a part of me throughout most of my early life.
Then for a while, I forgot to remember how writing cures the aches of the soul, I forgot that expressing oneself through words is not only therapeutic but also uplifting, I forgot that by giving up a part of myself I was giving up the person I was to be. I forgot that passions or talents should not be taken for granted or allowed to fall by the wayside but should be nourished and cultivated and expanded upon.
Miraculously though, and to me it was a miracle, I began to write again. It wasn’t as free flowing as it had been at first, though I remember vividly the day I was inspired to write again and couldn’t just not write. I was on a trip to Germany and the sites, the sounds, the feelings that were invoked were overpowering. It was as though I was awakening from a deep sleep and realized that my life could be so much more than I had allowed it to be for the last few years. I began scribbling away and realized that this was my gift, my one true talent and that if I didn’t use it this time I would probably never get it back again.
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
