In my small little room in Los Feliz, I remember writing endlessly. Scribbles and scrabbles of thoughts, experiences, and memories. Excited, I sat with my cat , as I transported us into a different realm. As my pen hit the paper, each letter flowed into each other like a river stream, and formed a living breathing being….
But that was almost fifteen years ago when time was abundant and no rhyme or form existed.
Now, in school I have learned so many new things about reading, writing and the technical things that come with it. In my opinion, poetry is more easier to write about, because all essays, no matter what kind they are have a basic outline to follow - introduction, body paragraphs, conclusion. However, poetry does not really have outlines. Poetry has various forms, and it is like a beautiful math equation that is complex but fruitful once you accomplish it. Writing poetry is not an easy task, it requires bountiful imagination, freely flowing thoughts, and a will to squeeze out every idea you can. Then, you have to arrange and re-arrange the pieces to fit the puzzle. You can be creative with how you arrange the pieces, and even break rules, yet you still have to fit the form.
Writing about poetry informed me about my own poetry, because writing about it allowed me to analyze the creative aspect, tone, voice, and also the technical aspects such as poetic devices. It also opened my eyes to understanding poetry, by giving me a background on how poets create and formulate them, as well as what devices and theme they use. Having this knowledge greatly impacts my future writing.
From this experience, I not only learned a small percentage of how to be a student, but a teacher as well. I learned how to write poetry, by learning various styles and forms, and devices. Moreover, I read numerous poems, and drafted multiple of my own, until I could produce a decent copy. Writing about poetry, in my opinion, placed me more into the lens of a teacher, because in a sense, I had to analyze and “grade” a poet’s oeuvre. It sharpened my skill set in looking between the lines of a poem and understanding how it contributes to a poet’s scholarship. Thus, if I ever decide to go for a teaching career, I will have an inkling on how to evaluate a writing piece with a keen sight.
Hi Viktoria!
ReplyDeleteFirstly, I want to start by acknowledging how beautifully written your blog post is. I heavily admire your writing style. The introduction about writing endlessly in your room provided me with such distinct imagery. You also make an excellent point when you mention how poetry does not really have outlines. You are absolutely right, I think my favorite thing about poetry is that you never really know what exactly to expect. Lord Byron is one of my favorite poets, and he is my favorite because he is somewhat unpredictable in a sense, or because he just doesn’t conform. But I digress. I agree with you that writing about poetry definitely provided insight into our own written work. As I mentioned in my blog post, I was inspired by Keats’ Ballad style in La Belle Dames Merci but my poem went no where in that direction once I actually started getting into the depths of my repressed emotions. You make another excellent point when you state that writing about poetry placed you more in the lens of a teacher. I did not consider that standpoint but you are absolutely correct!
-Kukie Antoun
Hi Viktoria!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed how you described your earlier writing days. It felt like I could actually picture you and your cat in that little Los Feliz room while the words just flowed out. I like how you connected that free, happy time with where you are now, having learned more of the technical aspects of reading and writing poetry. I also thought your comparison of poetry to a “beautiful math equation” was such an interesting way to put it. That idea of arranging and rearranging pieces like a puzzle really resonated with me, especially because, as you said, poetry lets us break rules even as we try to shape meaning.
I admire how you tied writing about poetry to your growth not only as a poet but also as a potential teacher. Seeing analysis as practice for evaluating and “grading” poetry is a great connection. I can definitely see how the skills transfer and your reflection made me think about how important it is to keep both sides in balance with each other. There are many benefits to understanding both the free flow process and the more technical precision.
Have a great rest of the weekend,
Briana Lincoln