My Poetry

It has been almost a year since I created this blog and started sharing my work with others to read and judge. This blog is probably one of the best things I could have done for my writing. I have grown so much as a writer and as a person in such a short amount of time. However, I have felt a significant change in my mindset about writing. Now, my writing is not something that I only do for myself. While I write my blog posts, I know that other people – my family, my friends, people I have lost touch with, complete strangers who only know me through my words and a few photos – will read my work and not just see a part of my life, but my heart and soul. Through sheer determination, I have taught myself how to ignore the part of my brain that demands to keep my words behind literal and metaphorical closed doors, locked behind passwords and security questions, kept hidden in a journal under my bed. This blog is an (fun and rewarding) obligation, not an option.

With so much of my work on display for others to read, I have found a small way to maintain a private creative outlet. I write poetry. While my verse might be public, my prose is more private. I have no idea if my poetry is good or not, but (honestly) it does not truly matter to me. I do not write it to be “good”; I write it to be written. It is a place where I process heartbreak and emotions too strong for paragraphs. It is a place where I express my joy that cannot be contained in sentences. It is something that I do just for myself with no obligation to post it. I share my poetry in select places with certain people, which allows me to have complete and utter control over my most personal work. Maybe one day I will post my poetry here on my blog for everyone to read. But for right now, it is something that I write to never be published.

Your Poetry

My hope for this blog post is not to force everyone to write poetry in their spare time. It is instead to encourage everyone to have a creative outlet. I used to believe that I was not a creative person because my work was not perfect. However, the point is not to have your work be perfect. The point of a creative outlet is to do it. It is a way to understand and process emotions that are not ready to be expressed out loud just yet. It is a way to stop doom-scrolling on TikTok and get off your phone for an hour or two. It is a way of exploring and understanding who you are at your core. It is a way of owning something important and personal. Poetry is my way of doing all this and more; however, it does not have to be your way. If poetry does not speak to you the same way it speaks to me, then do not write poetry. Your creative outlet could be any number of things as long as they accurately reflect you. I encourage everyone to figure out what their creative outlet is and actively participate in it. Remember that it does not have to be perfect; it just has to be authentic.