I love poetry and am more than a little amused when I tell people this and their initial reaction to the genre is that it is boring, old fashioned, and/or pretentious before I see images with quotes from the poems of Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī, Maya Angelous, Drake and Tupac popping up on their social media feeds. It seems to me that regardless of how boring we found English Literature class in year eight, our hearts are still moved when hit at the right time by the words of the greatest poets.
I almost cannot comprehend the reach of Rūmī’s words which has spanned over every country for more than 800 years. I mean, can you imagine writing something today that a stranger who speaks a different language and won’t be born for another 780 years might pick up and find inspiration and hope in?
Now, I am by no means even suggesting a comparison between the great’s and myself – comparatively I feel like a fraud or a frog allowed to play with crayons!
Poetry is to me an important part of self expression. I believe that each of us is made up of a million little pieces, like tiny mirrors which reflect differently depending on the light, the angle, the care taken of them and the eye of the viewer. A poem may tell the story reflected in just one of these mirrors. Often when I write it is to heal – we all know that not everything that happens to us is good, and I don’t subscribe to the theory that you have to be grateful for the pain you endure. For me, writing a poem, even an ugly poem, is a cathartic release.
Please swing over to my Poetry page, where you can find a few of my pieces – I intend to update these from time to time. I hope you enjoy – and please get in touch if you have any questions or comments!
If you like what you read, feel free to jump across to my store where you will find a selection of my work available for purchase, in a collection named ‘Reclaiming My Soul.’
Josie Young 