Bleh with Barry

If you have visited my blog, follow it, or are just seeing it for the first time, it will be very evident that I like to write poetry. I don’t know what it is exactly, but poetry fascinates me. I mean honestly think about any poem you like. Poems take us to places that prose cannot. Why do I say this? It is because poetry taps into the raw inner being that is our unconscious, purely human side. I know it might sound silly; however, think about it. What prose has ever made you feel in a few sentences what a poem does?

–Poetry has a need to be concise. If it isnt’, generally, the poet will lose their audience fairly quickly. When dealing with a not linear form of writing (as I think poetry is due to the fact that it does not necessarily follow a set pattern of word placement or have a definite placement on the page), it is easy for a reader to meander off the beaten path and be totally unaware of what is going on. This is why in my own personal poetry I avoid flowery language a lot of times. This is why I have very specific word choice. This is to create vivid images/thoughts directly in the minds of those reading (at least that is my aim).

–Poetry is a writing of emotions. If you don’t have some feeling behind your words in a poem, most assuredly, the poem will be dry and stagnant. Poetry is a wonderful because it connects with us on that emotional level. Whereas, other literary forms can leave us feeling very detached and on the outside looking in.

–Songs are poetry. This may be another reason why poetry connects with people (including myself) so well. I am a person who loves music. I’ll listen to anything from Lady Gaga to The Phantom of the Opera to classic rock and most everything in between. I am musically eclectic. The lyrics of these songs are poetry in their own right. Each word is chosen specifically to convey some emotion in the song (which the actual music also helps too). Think about any song. If you took the lyrics away from the music, the words themselves would be a stand alone poem in its own right.

 Why do I write poetry? It’s simply because it allows me to get out ideas and thoughts that any other medium would have trouble conveying. Now, I’m not saying that I’m an Emo kid writing poems about death and pain (however, I do have poems about death and pain…I just don’t think they’re emo-rific. They’re classier than that). My poems are inspired by life and the world around me…some are silly (like one about a piece of lemon floating in a glass), some are creepy (like another about an angel [Satan] sitting on a hill watching soldiers die), some of them are commentary on the world (like “Stardom”)…I write poetry because it frees me and allows me to connect with others in a way only poetry can.