LIFE & LANGUAGE IS THE SWAY OF POETRY

Sometimes I wonder why I write. Why do my thoughts turn into stanzas of broken poetry and unfinished ideas? Sometimes, my poetry comes out messy and short. It’s CAPITALIZED, mispelled, and incorrect. The grammar doesn’t matter. But what is the point? What do we write? Why do we use words to express our emotions? What do we hope to gain? Why?

The youthful years are filled with moments of confidently thinking we have figured it out. That is, until we are stupidly met with a moment that humbles our wisdom. Life is what draws us to write. Some moments, good and bad, surround us with an emotion and consciousness just waiting to seep out of us. So, we put pen to paper in an attempt to make sense of words like love, loss, fear, and experience. And thus rises poetry: imperfectly human.

What is ever-changing are the things constantly set in motion: the ocean, its river streams, the sway of trees, and the drop of their leaves. Motion is consistently never the same, but it is familiar. Independence is like this, too. Don’t you see? Independence is always freeing. Our decisions change, but our reliance on the self does not. Self-discovery and strength grow but do not falter. Once we master the art of independence, it cannot leave us.

But be cautious. All things must be nurtured. A tree’s roots thrive from the rain and the sun. The internal self thrives from wisdom and awareness. The vines of independence thrive off of lessons and mistakes. Wisdom comes from time. All things are set in motion.

Thank you to the universe for its gift of life. Thank you to the women of my past for paving the way forward for voting rights, education, and job opportunities. Thank you for every day I get to live. This an ode to the grace of my friends and to the giggles of girlhood. Poetry is an ode to my achievements and my faults. It is there in moments of grief and loss. It is an ode to old memories and tears of joy. Life is small moments built into stepping stones. We’re just here trying to make sense of it all.