A Personal Essay (Prologue to Poetry)
I was cleaning out an old email box the other day and I came across a folder with poems that I'd written back in 2008. It's crazy to think about because between 2007-2008 my life was crazy! Every part of my life was out of control. I was in school and I'd just switched from community college to 4 year university. It was hard. I hated College Park and it was showing through my grades. Work was tumultuous; there were a lot of changes taking place in my office. I was partying like a fool. Literally, every weekend for the whole summer of 2007 I was at the club.
In 2008, I'd gotten arrested, and because of that my job was compromised. This was my rock-bottom. But I think getting arrested and potential going to jail was what I needed. Life gets better after you've hit the bottom. According to my email records, 2008 is when most of these poems where written. I suppose that's true. Much of this time period in my life is a blur.
So, how did I get into poetry? True story: I met a totally random guy on Facebook. We messaged and poked; I don't even know how we crossed paths, but he invited me to a poetry slam. I went, by myself; it was totally dangerous, and long story short, I felt inspired. He is a true master of words and I was enchanted.
I am already a lover of words and to hear him read his poems was amazing. I wanted to have that same feeling towards my own words. But, poetry isn't as easy as it seems. It really takes a certain kind of clarity to ensure that the words are in sync with the feelings and emotions of the writer.
Anyway, I'm going to put myself out there and post the poems. At the time I was writing these, I did not possess the necessary emotional or mental clarity to make the poems powerful. I can tell, today, just by reading what I've written that the poems are forced and superficial. I believe true poetry reveals the soul of the writer.
In 2008, I'd gotten arrested, and because of that my job was compromised. This was my rock-bottom. But I think getting arrested and potential going to jail was what I needed. Life gets better after you've hit the bottom. According to my email records, 2008 is when most of these poems where written. I suppose that's true. Much of this time period in my life is a blur.
So, how did I get into poetry? True story: I met a totally random guy on Facebook. We messaged and poked; I don't even know how we crossed paths, but he invited me to a poetry slam. I went, by myself; it was totally dangerous, and long story short, I felt inspired. He is a true master of words and I was enchanted.
I am already a lover of words and to hear him read his poems was amazing. I wanted to have that same feeling towards my own words. But, poetry isn't as easy as it seems. It really takes a certain kind of clarity to ensure that the words are in sync with the feelings and emotions of the writer.
Anyway, I'm going to put myself out there and post the poems. At the time I was writing these, I did not possess the necessary emotional or mental clarity to make the poems powerful. I can tell, today, just by reading what I've written that the poems are forced and superficial. I believe true poetry reveals the soul of the writer.
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