To have great poets…there must be great audiences ~ Walt Whitman

If a poem remains hidden between the cracked and crinkled pages of a random forgotten notebook…what good does it do?

If you pour truth from your pen, only to tuck it away when darkness falls, never to be witnessed…is that truth cheapened?

For what ever reason…I was called to write.  I naturally assume, the words I am compelled to write, are being called forth to be heard.  It is a progression that fits well with our natural laws.

Through this community, and on through the ether of cyberspace, brave spirits venture forth, hear my words, and encourage me to keep at it.  I have never before experienced the sense of community and fellowship that I have since I began sharing my words with you.  You are my great audience…and you would not believe how honored I am to be a part of your great audience.

Together, we are raising the voice of poetry. We are traveling uncharted routes and trusted paths to bring these words to the people. And we are succeeding. Each week, new faces venture forth, daring to post their hearts, and each week, you embrace and welcome them, lending strength, confidence and perhaps most of all, courage…this is what a great audience does.

So once again, I humbly thank all of you for bringing that spirit of acceptance to our pub here each and every week.  Your heart, compassion, desires and secrets, shared so openly with us all here; your kind, thoughtful and encouraging comments that keep our pens in the game on days our heart wants to leave. Thank you, for being the greatest audience ever.

I’m Natasha Head, and I welcome you all to OpenLinkNight 32…here’s how you become a part of it…

• Post a poem to your blog.  Copy the address of the blog post.
• Click the Mr. Link button.  Here, you will paste the address of your blog post. (If Mr. Linky has already inserted a link on your behalf to your previous post, simply delete that link, then past your new one)  Add your name where prompted, click submit…and you’re in.
• To visit the other poets, simply click on their name in the Mr. Linky box.
• Now this is where the fun begins! Visit as many poets as you like, commenting, engaging and sharing their work with the world through the social networking platforms you favor.  This is not rocket science…the activity you receive on your own post is normally a reflection of the activity you give on others.
• This is the one night a week where we’re allowed to get drunk on poetry…and become the biggest, brightest, best audience ever!