Writing Poetry from the Heart

Poetry for Everyone
ByJaalah DuPont, published Apr 22, 2008
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Finding yourself falling inlove withpoetry is natural. So often a little note from theheart can touch us all. Reaching inside to mine the diamonds of your soul is whatpoetry is all about. To find what yourheart is saying, you have to still your mind, and reach inside your subconscious and find the one truth you want to say at that moment.
I have beenwritingpoetry for years and performing it in cafes, churches,schools and so on. I find nothing more gratifying than reaching the audience and making them feel something, make them find something true about themselves or life.
You can write pretty poems full of imagery and sounds, or you can write eloquently about real issues. Both are poems. I listen to the Bible, and as a Christian, try to "Fight the good fight" with my poems and raise the moral conscious of my audience. Most people want to be good, and feel guilty when they experience tawdry material. I don't like to degrade my audience that way.
You can really touch people with poetry. It says things words aren't capable of saying in normal conversation. There was a real need for poets after 9-11. The agony of loss and fear were overwhelming. And there will always be a need for poets. Whether for greeting cards, or songs, or teaching, alove of language and a sense of duty topoetry is all that it takes to open the door.
You need to open yourheart to creativity. You can do this by becoming aware of things around you. A flower, a calling bird. Awaken your senses by becoming present. Describe the things that are real to you. If you feel pain, acknowledge it and find a way to describe it. Goodwriting can be uplifting, it can be about triumph over difficulty. It can be heartbreaking and sad, it can be beautiful and sentimental.
Inwriting about the truth, mining yourheart and experiences for wisdom, you can touch others and lead them to greater understanding through poetry. You can lead them tobeauty and make them appreciate life more in your snapshot of life. Or you can inspire them to being the best person they can be.
We each reinventpoetry as we write. Each person is an individual, mining their heartaches and joys for inspiration. We are all travelers on a journey, andpoetry can be a rest for the soul. Some of my favorite poems come from, Love Poems fromGod by Daniel Ladinsky. You can learn a lot aboutpoetry by reading it. Learning the attitude, the use of words, the meanings that are used, the subjects.
Become a student of life, use your interests and develop your heart. You can't really inspire people if you watch TV all day and drink beer all night. Live a full life, full of laughter and tears and joy and heartbreak. Love well and learn a lot andpoetry will bubble up from your soul.