“You’re the Poetry Man”

Day 177

Poetry. It is a form of creative writing (and I do love to write) and I’ve had some experiences with it. I am certainly no poet but I’ve learned a lot about poetry and have gained an appreciation for it.

One of my first experiences with poetry happened in the 7th grade. In my English class I was required to memorize a poem, and it was a doozy. The poem was “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost. Now this is a beautiful poem, one that I still have memorized after all of these years. It is a poem that I understand, that has an important message that makes sense and is very inspirational.

In the 8th grade I had a Reading class and every week the class was assigned a short poem (or a few stanzas from a poem) to memorize. We would be given the assignment on Friday and then on Monday we would have to get up in front of the class and recite it word for word. In the beginning I was absolutely terrified about doing this and I would put it off until the last minute. But then I learned how much better it would be to just get it over with, so on Monday I would be one of the first to volunteer to recite. Then I could relax while the others in class would squirm with nervousness and discomfort! I memorized a lot of poems and still have a few of them memorized to this day, like “It Couldn’t Be Done” by Edgar A. Guest.

Then in high school, my senior year, I took a Poetry class. It was all about poetry and the class was required to write their own poems. Crap! Memorizing poems is one thing, but being clever and creative enough to compose your own - give me a break! Throughout the year we would write various kinds of poems and compile them into a poetry book that we would turn in at the end of the year. This was the title of my book:

Now I am going to truly embarrass myself by sharing some of the poems I wrote. Have a good laugh at my expense!

This is my sad attempt at haiku

This is my equally sad attempt at a limerick

I don't remember what this type of poem was called (shape poems)

It's another sad, pathetic attempt at being the next Henry Wadsworth Longfellow!

I love writing, but when it comes to poems I don’t feel the same connection and I find it very daunting and difficult. But I admire people who have this talent, this ability. In my family there are some truly talented poets: my Great Grandmother Maughan wrote a collection of poems and they were so exquisite and remarkable; her daughter, my Grandmother Anhder, also wrote some beautiful, eloquent poems; and her daughter, my mother, wrote amazing poems as well. I wish I could write have as good as them!

Having taken my own stab at writing poetry and then reading the works of others, including the works of my loved ones, I have a great appreciation for the concept and the ability of others!