I have always loved poetry...the flow of words, the lyrical sounds of phrases, and the creative, innovative way that thoughts, ideas, observations can be expressed. I have been writing poems since I was a little girl...phrases, snippets, jottings. When I initially began writing, I followed traditional conventions: rhyming, specific stanza lengths, etc - but as I evolved my poetry became free of typical conventions; and I just let it flow. My writings are the physical manifestation of spirit moving through me...I write as the voices speak to me.
poetry
Copyright (c) 2012 Helen Tinsley
this is not a poem
not as in metaphorical language or rhythmic phrases
not as in rhyming, haiku or I love you’s
not as in compare, contrast or describe.
no, this is not a poem in the usual sense of the word,
not as in typical style, form or genre
not as in lines or stanzas.
so what is poetry?
is it traditional structure & obedience to form
following conventions & predictability?
no that’s not what poetry should be.
poetry should be…
words rolling off the poets tongue,
penetrating the ear, mind & heart of the listener
poetry should touch the soul, move mountains & change the world
poetry should tell the stories, energize, agitate & educate
& move people to reconcilate & eliminate hate
poetry is cosmic energy in words
poetry is the divine expression
of the creator in literary form
poetry makes connections to the crossed over souls
& utters ideas from ancestors of long ago
poetry celebrates legacies, questions stories
& dreams of possibilities in an infinite world.
poetry is power…poetry is life
Who are your favorite poets?
3 comments:
Pablo Neruda (Chile), Dorothy Parker (USA), Salvador Diaz Miron (Mexico), Gabriela Mistral (Chile), Maya Angelou (USA), Gustavo Adolfo Becker (Spain), and Amado Nervo (Mexico)... to name a few...poetry flows through me mainly in Spanish...yet I do have my moments in English.
Carlos Enrique Aguirre
I fell in love with Nikki Giovanni back in 1969 when I read her poem "Beautiful Black Men". It felt as if she were talking directly to me.
Carlos, I love Pablo Neruda - I was introduced to him in a wonderful writer's group in Philly led by Sister Sonia Sanchez. Kenny, Nikki's poems always felt like they were coming from my mind, spirit and experience. I could feel the power in Ego Tripping. I only hope and pray that my poetry finds a connection to the experiences and journeys of others...and touches people along the way! Ashe'
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