A Poet's Tale

Poetry is raw. It can be boiled, baked, chargrilled & sometimes just plain burnt; but mostly, I think poetry is raw. Pure, raw, emotion.

Poetry is a glimpse into the innermost workings of a poet's soul.

A poet - who is someone that has mastered the skill of putting words in order, arranging them so that they ebb and flow as naturally as the tide, as naturally as breathing...

Words are like air to a poet.

Poets see the world with hell in their eyes, but heaven in their heart. They see all that is wrong with this world, and they turn the pain into art, shedding light on something you'd rather ignore.

Through words, the poet is revealing their most secret self - exposing their pain, their sorrow, their fears; yet on the other end of the spectrum, their joy, their faith, their passions, dreams & desires. They are ripping themselves open, spilling their own blood just so that you have something to read; something that reassures you you're not alone.

& yet, more often than not, these poets feel unappreciated, ignored, judged. You judge a poet's work, you're judging their soul. Did you know that? No. You didn't even think of that.

If you read a lifetime of work from a poet, you have read their autobiography. You have read their soul. You will know them better than most people ever did & in them, you will find a friend you wish you'd always had.

Poetry, like the tree, has many branches. It is the red rose of love & the thorny barbs of hate. It's the warmth of fire & the sharp freeze of ice.

It's the blue skies of hope & the storms of grief, the sunshine of joy & the oceans of depression.

Poetry is a series of opposites, encompassing every possible scenario. It is art painted with words in every colour of the rainbow.

I guess I'm trying to say that, to me anyway, poetry is everything.

Sometimes, I want to ride on poetry's magic carpet for eternity; just drifting, weaving between the lines of rhymes, metaphors & profound symbolism.

Other times, I want to take it by the neck & choke the shit out of it.

It is both my friend & my enemy.

It can be dark when I want it to be light... or vice versa; & rarely, rarely does it come out the way I planned.

But it comes out the way it needs to.

Poetry is sweet torment & masochistic torture.

Yes... poetry hurts.

But it's worth it because, poetry is everything & everywhere.

Poetry is soul.

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The End

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Thank you so much for reading my musings into what it's like to be a poet. If you enjoyed the read, I encourage you to show your support by clicking/tapping that little heart, subscribing to my page, or if you're feeling particularly generous you can leave a tip :) All support is greatly appreciated and it helps me to keep being able to do what I love... paint pictures with words!

Cheers!

Chan xx