Poetry
is reflecting what you feel deep inside (usually, in written form but
not confined to it).
That’s
about all that this piece’s about; the inward release that leads to the
creation of a higher form of writing. I do hope I can pull it off in this
second installment then, I can really call this a wrap.
Early
on, in the first part of this article, I remember going on about varying
degrees of mastery as the rock that trips many beginner poets. I
intend to slap some flesh on that skeletal frame. If you can understand
perfection as a process, as a quality that comes by keeping your nose to the
grind it shouldn’t take you a second to figure out why your initial attempts at
writing poems suck. Sometimes, a wild stab could create something of a beauty,
like a toddler draws squiggly worms running his fingers through beach sand. A
sudden gust of inspiration works that kind of magic, but occasions are rare and
that’s where personal effort takes the helm. In time, you will discover what
works and what doesn’t and most importantly, you will find a voice of your own
from that moment on it is smooth sailing.
Reading
inspired poetry does rub off on you if you read with an intensity befitting a
seeker, an individual searching between the lines, riding the lilts of cadence
as he seeks to unravel the passion that drove the poet persona.
As
a child learning to write poetry, a major setback of mine derived from the fact
nobody wanted to hear me recite verse. They would rather have me sing the same
words. So, I start scribbling a line of poetry then, the nagging voice of the
majority stomping in, “why allow such beautiful words go to waste on a
poem nobody gives a rolling doughnut about?” That was all it took to
make me change my mind and force a tune on the piece. I did write a few verses
though, but I never quite got over trying to see how it would sound if it was sung and
not recited.
These
few years have witnessed me read my poems aloud. Hearing yourself read your
stanzas builds a kind of confidence within you that otherwise can’t be achieved
anywhere else but there’s more as your writer’s voice begins to acquire an edge
of authority.
Writing
poetry ought to be piecemeal if you know how to play with
words. And piecemeal refers not to the value of
the piece but the very act of writing the poem.
I
would suggest a preference of freeverse, take a deep interest in
this form of poetry and you will be off to a good start. Freeverse sort
of takes the lid off the rules. It adopts all the elements of poetry, yet you
are not obliged to obey rules. Your writing doesn’t necessarily require a
uniform metric flow. Metaphor, cadence, and a mastery of pun are vital to
create a free form of verse, that’s almost all you will need. Rhyme is allowed
but not demanded and you can make your stuff as long (or as short) as you
choose. The rules are there are no rules.
Lying,
thinking
Last
night
How to
find my soul a home
Where
water is not thirsty
And
bread loaf is not stone
I came
up with one thing
And I
don’t believe I’m wrong
That
nobody,
But
nobody
Can
make it out here alone
Alone,
all alone
Nobody,
but nobody
Can
make it out here alone
Maya Angelou,
Alone
Forget
about rules for a change and let the individual on the inside express him/herself
through the written word. And you are sure to discover it’s a piece of cake.
Keep
your pen bleeding!
Akpan
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