Sometimes, when I sit down to write a poem, my mind goes blank.
I have a prompt in front of me, yet I pick up my pen only once in one whole hour to ask a question that I already know the answer to…
What is a poem?
I have a master’s degree in creative writing. I know what a poem is, but unfortunately, I also know what imposter syndrome is.
I’m not good enough for this.
When poetry is simply an expression of the human experience through the written word, there is no right or wrong, for it is deeply personal and therefore wholly subjective.
Sure, there is a structure to follow in some cases (haikus, for example, must have a line count of three and a syllable count of 5,7,5), but there is also an abundance of poetry that has no rules (see also: free verse).
Free verse poetry is my favourite type of poetry because, rather than selecting words to fit a specific structure, you can instead select a structure (or not) to fit your words.
In whichever way you write poetry, whether structured or unstructured, the not-so-secret ‘secret’ to writing is just to start.
I, you, we, can therefore let go of the idea that we’re somehow ‘not good enough for this.
Take inspiration from other poets. The Poetry Archive is an amazing website that is free to use and acts as a library. Notice how many different styles of poems are on there. Notice the absence of rules.
To repeat again: there is no right or wrong.
One person’s messy soul looks very much like another person’s messy soul.
Despite our experiences being unique, based on an interwoven thread of memories that only we have lived, when we are all far more alike than we are different, poems are often universally relatable.
A poem about grief, for example, however specific it is to the poet’s experience, is a poem about love and loss, which are themes that we can all relate to.
Why poetry?
What makes poetry so special is the way that it allows the writer to take individual words that essentially mean nothing on their own, and put them together in such a way that makes people feel.
Because, to answer the question that I ask myself all too often while sitting at my desk twiddling my thumbs, ‘what is a poem?’, it is this…
A mutual exchange between writer and reader…
A way to feel.
Stop worrying that you’re going to do it wrong, and just write how you feel.
Portfolio of Hope 