It's That Time of Year Again..

...and this year I will not be in the midst of a move back east. I am settled back home in New Haven and ready to write. I've also decided to combine the two selves of my poetry life into one. I used to write to help me process whatever I was feeling or going through. I wrote emotions with an unbridled pen. It was like I was using poetry as a diary. So much intense and personal stuff.

Then, I got to college, majored in English, and saw a completely different side of writing. One where the surface of the water was calm, but underneath, you knew there was a shark hunting its food. You could feel the danger of a poem without seeing it on the surface. And I began to write about less personal stuff, but subjects that meant a lot to me, and made me feel a lot, without being so damn whiny. I found that in exploring the other people's lives, imaginary or not, I found my own poetic voice. I started using writing as a vehicle to help other people feel something powerful, and stopped using it as my therapy. And, in doing that, I found  a balance that is so, well, I don't have the words for it. I feel like I am in the best place in my writing life, that I know what I want to say, and I say it well, most of the time.

I've decided that I can now write about the "personal" without getting so overwhelmed by the emotions I feel when I think about situations. I feel like I can finally write about my father, like I can finally fit what I'm feeling on an 8 1/2" x 11" page, and those of you who know me know what's going on with him. I can write about him and not be blinded by what I feel. This marriage of my two selves will be turblent, but necessary. It's time I stop filtering what I write about, and let the words just come to me, no matter who or what they are about.

So, I'm ready to write. I hope you all enjoy the ride.

Poem-A-Day 2010

It's that time of year again. April is National Poetry Month, and I will be doing the Poem-A-Day (PAD) challenge again. Instead of posting all the poems I write during National Poetry Month next month on Facebook only, I will link this blog with Facebook, and save myself time.

Last year I wrote 30, but only posted 25. This year will be easier, I hope, since I took the spring off from school. The more time I dedicate to write, the more I will write. Right?

This challenge is not a difficult as I thought, just requires time, and lots of quiet. Not solitude, really, but quiet.

If you like poetry, well, good poetry, then read my friend Victor's blog. He's doing the challenge too.

Stay tuned!