Why I write poetry

I've been thinking a lot lately about why I write poetry and, perhaps just as importantly, why I choose to share it online. If you're going to read my poetry, please read this: hopefully it will allow you to look at my poetry through the right lens.

The Three Reasons Why I Write Poetry

1. To work out my own thoughts and emotions

I see things in the world, things that make sense and other things that, well, don't. The combination of the two is always difficult to comprehend. Also, I believe that there is beauty in simple things. Those things are worth discovering and writing about. Sometimes it feels like I have to write, to explore new concepts, to understand better.

My poems are not about me. Hopefully, they are about the commonalities of the human experience. But they are also inherently personal in nature, since I can't help but see the world only as I have seen it. This can expose me, or appear to expose me. You might read my poetry and come to conclusions about who I am or what I've done. Try and remember though that the poetry is less about specific actions than about deeper truths and thoughts. So just because I write in a poem, "I am drunk," it doesn't mean I am drunk or even have ever been drunk. It is a poem. The narrative is not always my own and even if it is, it may have been expanded or fictionalized to fit within the context of the poem.

So disclaimer: If I write something in my poetry, it does not mean it has ever been or will ever be true in reality.

2. To take snapshots

I am selfish. I want to one day remember what I did and what I felt. Some people take photographs to do this. These are my mental photographs. The beautiful thing is that over the years as I've written this blog, I've always been able to look at my past poems and instantly remember where I was emotionally and where I was in my life. My mom used to scrapbook. It's pretty darn similar.

3. To communicate

I'm reminded of Plato's Cave, where the philosopher, having gone out into the world and learned new things, was required to return to inform his fellow man of the things he had learned.

Alright, so I am no philosopher and I am no prophet. But I do have words and thoughts to share, desires yet to be fulfilled and lessons still to be learned. In that, I have a common trait with everyone who reads this blog. If it allows you to take any deeper understanding, or even just a laugh, than I am communicating.

I am a shy kid at heart. I'm not great at small talk. I enjoy hearing what people really think and really care about. I am open with myself, possibly because I trust easily. That has the chance to backfire from time to time, but it's not enough to stop me. I am sharing something with you, thoughts that I may have thought, may still think, may have only toyed with. Thank you for extending the same courtesy by being mindful that what you see is not always reality. I've been posting my poetry more lately because I have been writing more, so I thought it was important to let you know my thoughts about this.