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because i don't feel like it, life is more important, PubTalk, the good news is there are no links on this one
Live to write poetry
or write poetry to live?
PubTalk
17 Monday Feb 2014
Posted in Pretzels & Bullfights
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Write poetry to leave!
smiles…yes…it can be a wonderful short-time escape… like a little refreshing holiday
Yes, to leave behind me evidence that I was here.
I agree. A legacy of sorts to my children and grandchildren.
i def agree viv….like leaving bits of our history….and the things i want my boys to know…the things i have gleened along the way…
Some of us were writing poetry before we had words, just embracing the sense of wonder about being alive in this plane of existence, and then language skills improved, and we began reading, & forming our likes & dislikes, searching for own vision in other’s writing; and then finding it, as I did in Whitman, Bukowski, Steinbeck, Trumbo, Ginsberg, and then before long we begin to process every experience through a poetic filter, cataloging phrases, stanzas, ready to write them when the urge would overtake us; like when an adolescent, getting an erection every time the wind blew, we found that poetry spilled out of every pore of its own volition, not by design–then English teachers began to take notice, & reinforce our skills–& from that moment poetry was part of every breath, every glance, every emotion.
ha – good question – probably i write poetry to process life…smiles
Yes, yes….that’s it!
Never actually thought of it this way before, but it makes it so clear. That’s exactly what it feels like. Thank you for that.
Claudia, I definitely identify with processing life. At some points in my life, especially some difficult times, poetry was INTEGRAL to me. And it was the way I dealt with ‘things.’
i think writing about life makes us take time to think it through…to turn it over and look at it through different angles and lenses
Yes! Yes!! How I process for sure….to understand, to release/integrate. Such a gift!
As someone said, there is no money in poetry ~ But then there is no poetry in money either ~
I write poetry because I love it. Wishing you all Happy Monday ~
See you tomorrow for OLN ~
and that is a wonderful reason… smiles.. looking forward to your hosting tomorrow grace
i dont know that i would want to make money on poetry…i think many would love to earn writing…but i would wonder too at my motivations a bit if i did…ha
I love it too Grace! It feels poetry is where my true voice can be found.
i write because………. i love it in all it’s forms
I think most humans want to communicate…poetry is a way to do that. It is a way to string a thought on a line, like hanging clothes on the line and catching the sunshine. It is always a surprise to me, what I write, what I am thinking, it seems I don’t know until I write it, and then read it…
oh i much like that clothes line image… and it’s cool to see what emerges from within
ha that is a very cool image on hanging the clothes out on the line…i like the smell of them after they have been there for a bit…
agareed! love the clothes line image for sure.
To me it’s neither.. I can’t live on my poems… I simply like it, love it really.. and what an oppurtunity to be read too… I really like that aspect. I wonder how about reading poetry though…. probably now, I would find life difficult without reading poetry..
yes – i would find life without poetry difficult as well now… when i discovered it (or it me) it was like a revelation..
Having lived more than 50 years without poetry… I find it like a revelation… a passion…
It is the same for me…a revelation and a passion.
Having lived over 50 years with poetry being a part of my life, I still get a rush after the last blue penciling, as the poem cools like baking bread covered in a dishtowel; yes, I think you all have put your digit on the pulse of this; we write poetry because we love it, we are crazy about it, it completes us–& yes, Bjorn, when others read your work, and respond to it, the process is like sipping pure oxygen; exhilarating.
Like the steps of baking bread–fine image!
beautiful…me as well, gentlemen, a transformative revelation :smiles.
I concur. Well put….
i def agree as well…
i think in reading poetry as well it allows
me to think creatively about my own writing…
Writing was the foundation I needed to help me become the person I am today. Poetry has become a need just like air, food, water, etc. I live to write, and working my way up to writing to live.
for me it’s also often like a pin in a map that shows me where i stand in my emotional landscape..
definitely… esp healing when dealing with emotions… it’s like therapy that comes from within.
i agree on the need…
for me i live to write…the life is the horse before the cart you know…its an overflow of what is going on around and in me…
Some friends on my readership list tell me I am prolific, but hell, compared to Brian, I’m just a 3-4 times a week poet, whereas Brian seems to almost write daily, without burning out, or overlapping or restating his premises. It is an honor just to work alongside a poet, and a human being like that.
i am nothing, brother.
i write what is given me.
you are a poet man.
dont forget that.
keep the story alive.
Good question! I write poetry because it’s a creative outlet and a form of self-expression. I can’t live on it, but I can’t live without it. I’d better not quit my day job. Smiles. But I’ll always write poetry. It’s what feeds my soul, stimulates my mind, enriches my heart. 🙂
yeah – i would’ve never thought that poetry could be so nourishing…but it def. is…
yes, i never imagined poetry writing and reading would support my inner and outer evolution (s)!
I hear you, Loredana. I wrote poetry before the blogosphere. I wrote for a LONG time before, but it feels my heart as well…whether or not anyone reads. For the most part, I still write for ME.
In the years when my energies were taxed raising four kids and working to keep us all afloat, I didnt write very often. And I always felt guilty, as I knew that I was meant to be writing. Then, in the years just before I discovered the online poetry community, my poetry had dried to a trickle for lack of a supportive environment. Now, among all of you wonderful poets, I am writing more than ever in my life before – and that makes me very happy. And grateful, to all of you, who keep the love of poetry alive and flickering in our hearts, as we read and encourage and support each other. I write poetry because I need to, in order to be fully who I am – and to be happy. We still need our day jobs – but it’s the nights of creative expression that nourish us most, I do believe. Great topic!!!!!
Great answer, Sherry – to be fully who you are! xx
So true, Sherry. We all nourish each other with our poems, I think. Both writing AND reading is so important.
i agree completely…
which is why i have been so frustrated the last couple weeks
with the lack of readers here at dverse
less than 50%
return comments
it sucks
I choose my readers now, so the reciprocating of comments is not a problem for me ~ Don’t get so bothered by them Brian ~ The comments of others more than make up those who don’t visit at all ~
the way i equate it is
its like having a party at your house
and trying to ignore half the people
who are just there to drink your beer
piss on your rug
and leave you the mess to clean up
so whats the point in working
to provide the place.
Even after the insightful essays you wrote before the dVerse holiday hiatus, it seems that human nature trumps logic. I stay on top of it promising my self that I will visit, will reciprocate, every poet who comments on my piece, then add a few more for good measure off the Link list; works for every event, just get overwhelmed by the 100+ that stop by on OLN. But hey, Brian, you just keep hosting those dVerse house Pub parties, for there are squadrons of us out here depending on them.
This gets to the why again, doesn’t it, Brian? Of course, you could/would write without the community you built, but you’re too much of a host/teacher to close the door completely because of the non-responders.
After teaching in High School for several years, I remember the best thing about college teaching being that I could tell unresponsive noisy students that it was clear they didn’t want my class so they should take a different one. Imagine doing that in Public School? But we could do that in these small purposed communities–over and over again until you need a break. OM, I’m RANTING. I’m going to stop.
This is on my blog: I am writing and reading “as if [my] life depended on it” (Adrienne Rich).
i dunno susan
when over half the people dont care
what is the purpose
and why rob my family
to care for those who dont give a damn
why rob those that care
by dilluting it with the others
and can i not do that
without having the responsibility of a place,
of finding staff, of scheduling,
of paying for license and linky,
of scheduling life around making sure
there is a warm greeting when someone
walks in the door…
oy, i am venting,
but being brutally honest here as well
Perhaps the discussion during the dVerse two weeks off is not over yet. I know that I belonged to Real Toads but quit because of all the policing though as a non-member I still attend all its functions. There is an extreme on both sides of the coin. I don’t read everything here because they don’t all read me–BUT at Poets United I read everyone because I belong and it’s my responsibility. Also, I am new there and not burnt out yet . . . and we are just four sweet retired ladies. (HA!)
I couldn’t imagine life without poetry, sometimes it’s so inspiring, sometimes heartbreaking but it explains so much about life, just love it!
ha. i never would have thought that…pre-poetry…5 years ago…never…but…i hear you…smiles….
I write to connect with people.
Ronald, I can identify with that. Connections, through the blogosphere, are also VERY important to me.
yes Mary, those connections are VERY important to me also…relationships with people I have never “met” have become quite close and meaningful. Perhaps it has something to do with writers understanding one another in a way others do not.
I agree! Writers do understand each other in a way that others do not. So true.
i agree with both of you…as i said above it is a community thing for me…and when that is lacking…it is def not as satisfying…
Surprisingly, this is one reward I didn’t foresee ~ I thought writing is such a lonely journey but I have come to value “blogging” friendships ~
Also, my hubby doesn’t read my poems as he doesn’t understand them ~ So the encouragement of like minded writers here are very much appreciated ~
My spouse is like yours, so the feedback we receive from each other purely sustains our creativity.
🙂
Why do I write poetry? I can’t not write it!
true that.
smiles.
I think some of us would write it, even if it is just in our head; we are just built that way; reminds me of one of my own lines /Q: Do you think there is poetry after death?
A: Hell yes, death is poetry. /
I love it Glenn ~ 🙂
It has become almost involuntary for me. I seem to be full of thoughts and words that just have to get out. I feel more like conduit than creator.
Live to write? Yes. Write to live? Yes, again.
I wrote a poem to my son earlier this week, for getting my life back on track in a very subtle and imaginative way. I won’t show it to him of course, as it would embarrass him, but the writing of it made me realize what I owe him.
Like Claudia says: processing your life.
That’s what dreaming is supposed to do, isn’t it?
Nice equation.
i wonder if you will ever share it with him?
poetry def makes me realize things about myself as well….
I’ve been making poems since childhood, even before I was able to write them down (so my mother told me). It’s a thing I can’t not do. I did try to make a living from it long ago, for a while. As well s finding paid publication and paid performances, I had to do related things like book reviews and running workshops — but even with all that, it would have been a very frugal living if I hadn’t also had a husband to help support me! Some poets I know have taught English Literature in universities, so that can support the poetic career as well as being related to it. But I didn’t want to be in academia. Some poets are wonderful song writers, e.g. Dylan and Cohen, but alas I have no musical talent. Writing poetry to live … not if that means making a living financially. But in order to be fully alive — I could say yes to that. Living to write poetry? Many people would probably think that about me, but no — no more than I live to breathe. It’s a natural activity for me, a thing I do constantly, one of the ingredients of living, not even remarkable, just what I do. There is no day without poetry. ‘You ARE poetry,’ a friend once said. Perhaps she was right; I’d like to think so. BUT — having said all that — I live to develop and improve and grow my poetry, to keep learning more of the craft, to try new poetic directions, to become the best poet I can possibly be!
craft….that is def a life long process as our verse grows and changes….
interesting on trying to make a living at it…i def sont want to be in academia about the high school level…i do enjoy the club i run at school and helping kids learn to write creatively which they dont always have the freedom to do in the classroom…
Well, I would say I write poetry because I like to find out what I think! Smiles. I also write poetry so that I can preserve my thoughts…for myself and for anyone who might be interested in them at time after I am gone. Poetry to me is legacy. But meanwhile, in the poetry blogosphere, I really write because I enjoy writing. Poetry is FUN for me to write. And I love the connections I make with others as well. I, not only like to write poetry, but I like to read what other people write. Poetry is a social thing for me, a way of connecting with others who also enjoy the outlet. I would REALLY miss the poetry blogosphere, this kind of communication, if it were not here. Poetry brings me MUCH joy, as well as satisfaction.
Mary, I can identify with what you say about writing poetry because you ‘like to find out what you think’. I find that writing poetry, and then reading what I wrote, helps me clarify my thoughts and feelings.
I also enjoy the connection with other poets in the poetry blogosphere.
poetry is def a social and community thing for me as well….
a give and take….a conversation…a sharing of stories
and drawing together….
It’s kind of a Zen thing, isn’t it? We are what we eat, and perhaps we expand who we are through our writing, dipping down into that huge portion of our brain that remains unused, fallow. As an actor, I felt, still feel, that we, each of us, are several personalities, it is just that in one lifetime we usually do not get the opportunity to let loose some of them, but through our poetry, or other artistic expressions we allow those other faces to emerge, to breath for a moment, to look around, to touch others.
just because there has to be somewhere for those words,thoughts and ideas to go… otherwise it would drive me bonkers.. or more bonkers than I am already… 🙂
ha. i feel you…thre are def wild thoughts i have that need to escape the pen….
poetry keeps me in touch with being alive … so the moments won’t pass me by … it helps me live …
so the moments won’t pass me by…smiles
yes, i get that….
Oddly I only just read this quote from Sylvia Plath…
“I write only because
There is a voice within me
That will not be still.”
And possibly just as oddly, or coincidentally, someone asked me this last week and I put together the following and then didn’t post it…
“I write because putting words on paper, or the screen, helps keep me tethered to reality. I write because I can and there are places in the world where it would cost me my life if I expressed my opinion. I write because I have to, I just do.
Thanks for this prompt, it’s good every now and again to remember why…
a tether to reality…an interesting way of putting it…..
and true on the cost…i wonder if it cost us if we would be willing to do
it…and if we would measure ourselves better…i think of some of the old
masters who really used metaphor creatively to speak their minds…
TO THE QUESTION
What is prime of one of two;
to go to sleep or stand up do?
I think it better be the first.
The lack of sleep I think is worst.
*smile*
i ahve def had poetry wake me up in the middle of the night…ha
I corrected the first line:
TO THE QUESTION
What thing is prime of beings two;
to go to sleep or stand up do?
I think it better be the first.
The lack of sleep I think is worst.
I write so I can breathe-I am gasping for air lately!
smiles.
i am CPR certified so if you go down i will save you ella
I write to open up my heart, mind and soul. I write so I can shed emotions- I write so I can dream- I write so I don’t burst from the inside-out.
lol…yes…i might burst at times….
Another stimulating round of Pub Talk folks, and I thank each of you, value the fellowship with each of you, for some of us have found that technology has led us to a place of sharing, of loving, and beyond the obvious stimulation, elation, there are deep-seated valuable side effects from hanging out at the dVerse Pub, and running with all the dogs, the big ones, & the rest of us.
Amen to that, brother.
I write poetry to learn stuff. Stuff about myself, about the world, about how to live a better life and be a better writer. The more I write, the more in-touch I feel. I think that to write is to live, to live is to write…
i have learned a lot in poetry…and it has taught me to be a noticer…or maybe just enhanced that in looking for the magic in the wrinkles of the day and its people….
I think I’ve been a noticer from an early age, but mainly because I was in theater and in the theater books I’ve read, there is great encouragement to notice people and mannerisms, notice things, notice life, appreciate life, all the better to mimic it as needed. That kind of set me up to write because since I had already made it a point to be a noticer, the little details and intimate secrets of life feel like they belong to me. It’s only fair to share through poetry. ^_^
I write to think and feel and separate and combine and to pray and obey and to rebel and to love me and people and words and ideas and visions. Have Pen; will use it.
to pray, obey and rebel. ha. you cover the whole gamut.
you use it well glenn.
Glenn?
i dunno what i was thinking susan…
i was pretty well wiped out last night…
sorry
I write because I experience.
ha – that is cool – yes – what would we write about if we wouldn’t live..
You know, it was just a simple thought one day… 99% of my writing actually comes from true life experience {non-fiction / narrative} because I just can’t sell myself to write fiction. I only find my story after experiencing daily life.
I agree with what Claudia said about writing poetry to process my life…it’s been so helpful in that regard and is creating a sense of connection with others when they can relate to something I’ve written.
oh i agree…i often read something and think “oh i have felt that way” but have never been able to put it into words so far…it helps..
Thanks, Claudia..
its like saying eat to live; live to eat! 🙂 yup! guess its some food for the soul for all of us here, a catharsis in some ways, or just an expression of our innermost feelings and thoughts, an attempt to remove the bit of mist or working like a snowplow….oh! we could go on and on….I have been away from the pub and other forums for sometime now.nah! no writers block but sometimes a bit of prioritising on family, work and therefore, my diverse roles puts your passion on the backfoot, isnt it? i am exploring haiku a bit now, three lines over free verse, perhaps an attempt to still keep poetry alive in me or maybe, the otherway around! 😀 phew!! this is longer than the pubtalk! smiles….
food for the soul… i agree…. and oy haiku… the shorter the form is, the more difficult i find it…smiles – and it def. is important to put family over poetry..
prioritizing is huge…we have to keep in mind what is truly important
I used to live/dream to write. But I’ve come to realize writing, for me, is a direct link to my subconscious. It’s something that keeps me in awe while healing. So I do, in fact, write to live. Fascinating question.
that is an interesting perspective maggie…i imagine you do….
Neither. Poetry writes me because that is just who I am. I don’t live to write poetry nor write poetry to live. I don’t live for any other reason than that I am here. I am grateful to have some gift for words and the opportunity to create with them, whether poetry or prose, but I see the words as coming through me, not from you.
Writing is something I love. It is a part of who I am and how I express myself but it is not who I am and if I have learned anything in life, it is that it does not pay to need or demand anything in one’s life but to simply enjoy what one is and what one has in each moment.
That is how I feel about poetry.
Ha, wish there was a correct function. Just re-posting with correction:
Neither. Poetry writes me because that is just who I am. I don’t live to write poetry nor write poetry to live. I don’t live for any other reason than that I am here.
I am grateful to have some gift for words and the opportunity to create with them, whether poetry or prose, but I see the words as coming through me, not from me.
Writing is something I love. It is a part of who I am and how I express myself but it is not who I am and if I have learned anything in life, it is that it does not pay to need or demand anything in one’s life but to simply enjoy what one is and what one has in each moment.
That is how I feel about poetry.
So many wonderful comments. In my youth I wrote my own little rhymes in birthday cards and the like. I have always loved writing, but primarily stories. A friend convinced me to start a ‘blog’ , not knowing what it was. I found myself getting involved with poets, reading them, then writing them. My ‘mum’ blog hardly appears in more. Poetry is an obsession for me. I lay in bed trying to sleep, I write lines. I get depressed I write, happy I write, hell I’ve even taken my IPad into the loo! I have things to learn, which I have, thanks to advice and mentoring from Brian when I call out for help and I still have a way to go. I can’t imagine not writing poetry from this day till my last breath and if my girls get a buzz from reading it after me, that makes me smile. Thanks to DVerse for allowing us ‘newbies’ the chance to spread our wings even further.
Oh so my answer.. As I got side tracked… I live to write – smiles
stories were my bane as well…i have written stories most of my life…short story mostly….writing poetry was on a whim when one of my commentors suggested i give it a try..that was like 5 years ago now….
well I think clearly you have found your niche my friend…smiles
I live, and I write poetry. It seems to find me. So I make time for it when I can. I find an outlet through word that I don’t have through voice. I write because I enjoy it. I read because I appreciate it. Life is a busy monster…we have to learn to ride and tame that beast. Otherwise she’ll drag us to hell and back. Make time for the things you enjoy. Make time for family. Make time for poetry. I’m extremely busy these days. So I haven’t had all the time in the world to respond as much as I’d like. But I do appreciate dverse. Write on!
When I was in so much pain (from facial nerve pain) and was close to suicide, writing and poetry literally saved my life. For me it’s a way to express myself when my speaking voice fails me.
i used to use it some in counseling the kids i did….both for them and for me in processing some of the things they were dealing with…so i believe it….
They say art heals but writing definitely does too. It helps to get it out even if no-one else sees it.
Any art form or form of self expression, creativity are gifts – and to me are meant to be released and shared, and are born out of the need of community and human connectivity…appreciating each others’ work is fundamental in a healthy functioning society….our talents are varied, our tastes even more so, but I think we write to live just as we eat to live, while some of us live to write more so and live to eat less so…if you follow me 😉
“born out of the need of community and human connectivity..”
i would agree whole heartedly there….there are times in my past…when i lost my job…or my grandmother went in the hospital…or my mom…or when my car broke down…or even recently with the little boy my friends are bringing home from the ukraine where i have felt so much community…those are def the readers/writers that i will remain loyal too…
i will never reveal the name of one person/a blogger that i never met personally…that sent me a computer once when my hard drive crashed…these are things i never would have thought before i started…
i live to connect….writing just happens to be the vehicle….
Moving, Brian, and quotable, especially that last line …
I write because it’s part of the music – the constant music that is always with me, in me, around me, part of me. First it’s the music, then it’s the words.
Have really enjoyed reading all your comments: it’s clear poetry can save lives and sanity, can mend rifts, can make hard hearts melt and awkward minds wonder. If only people open themselves up to it, and don’t just switch off ‘because it is so difficult’. I write poetry because it’s a certain way of viewing life and the world: it helps me to digest phenomena, to understand better, to ask questions and to be content not to have all the answers.
Beautifully expressed.
The poetry is there, all around us, who better than the poet to leave a record of it? Without poetry who would care about the fork in the road, the feel of fresh sheets on a summer night or even be able to sing a song? Live poetry. 🙂
Oh, absolutely write to live!!!
I am 100% percent sure I would be suicidal if not already dead if not for writing. Writing for is cathartic, releasing my demons and my joys beyond the constraints of my physical shell. It keeps me sane. I don’t want to think what mental state, or institution, I would be in without it.
I hear you.
Writing, breathing…same difference to me. As sure as I breathe I write. Without either, I’m dead. Not too dramatic, eh?