Demystifying Poetry

Poetry begins with emotion & ends with emotion.

Many writers are intimidated by poetry. I hear comments such as, “I don’t understand poetry,” and, “Poetry does not make sense,” on a regular basis. But poetry is meant to be felt, feeling is with the heart.

I have been writing poetry since childhood. I didn’t want to be a poet. I aspired to be a writer. Life has a way of selecting you for certain things. When I put my pen to paper it is often a poem that comes out and not the Blockbuster fiction novel I am hoping for.  Poetry can build your voice and create tighter prose as the writer learns to condense thought by using emotive words.

Several years ago I discovered poetry prompt lists on Twitter and it was a game changer for me. The host of the list adds regular prompts and everyone is encouraged to participate.

@Ashverse is the first list I joined. He’s moved on to other things, but his prompts and support helped me believe in my talent to string words into poetry magic.

If you are seeking a place to explore and need encouragement there are many hosts of prompts such as @DimpleVerse, M@MadVerse, @TastyPoem and @Microprompt.

Images are from PicsArt #freetoedit library and a wonderful tool to make your poetry pop.