Poetic Happiness

Don’t you just love it when something wonderful happens to you out of the blue?  I had something wonderful happen to me and it was totally unexpected.  I stopped here at the site to check my stats.  Personally, I didn’t think anything exciting would be waiting for me, but boy was I wrong.  I noticed that there was a linkback that needed either approved or deleted.  I almost hit delete out of habit, but something told me to check it out first.  Good thing!

I found that a gentleman by the name of Ollie Lind had read one of the poems I’d posted here and not only liked it, but offered up the link to his own readers.  How cool is that?  So, I spent a little time at Mr. Lind’s site and was amazed at what I found.  Ollie Lind is quite the poet in his own right, and has even released his first book of poetry titled Reflections of Life.

Now mind you, I was a little intimidated about reading Ollie’s work.  Several years back, I’d posted some of my poems to a critique group and almost quit writing poetry all together.  I write in rhyme.  One of the people in the group had told me that it was a sure sign that I was nothing more than an amateur.  I was devastated.  I’ve tried my hand at free verse, but I have to say that I totally SUCK at this form of poetry.  Everything I wrote in free verse sounded forced, so I just gave up.

Anyway, I decided to read a few of Mr. Lind’s poems and fell in love with his writing style.  He’s a rhymer.  His poems come together in a magical way that dances across the heart.  It gave me hope that my poems might not be dead after all.  It also caused me to pull out my dusty old book filled with the poems I’d written so many years ago.  And, it made me realize that just because one person in this world didn’t approve of my style, someone else out there might enjoy it.

Thank you, Mr. Lind.  You helped put a spark back into my soul that’s been silenced for a very long time.  They say that all things happen for a reason, and I believe that you reading my goofy little poem was no accident.  May all your writing dreams come true.

Mindless Fear

A passionate kiss.
A frightening scream.
At first I thought,
it was merely a dream.

A shot was fired.
A car sped away.
I heard a siren,
and started to pray.

I felt a hand,
glide over my side.
I couldn’t move,
though I had tried.

I then heard a voice,
whisper to me.
“It’s after midnight,
shut of the T.V.”

How To Write A Cinquain

In the world of poetry, there are several different types of poems.  I personally like to write in verse, or rhymed poems.  Then there is also free verse, which is a highly stylized poem that has no rhyming words, but lots of imagery and descriptions.

Then there are all the styles of poems.  One of these styles is known as a Cinquain.  The cinquain is a very simple style of poetry, based on syllables instead of stanzas.  Cinquains are made up of 5 lines of verse.  It will look something like this:

Line 1=2 syllables
Line 2=4 syllables
Line 3=6 syllables
Line 4=8 syllables
Line 5=2 syllables

The thing about cinquains is that they can be based on any topic or theme.  They can be totally silly:

Pork Chops
Each night at six
Father demanded them
Just once I wished we could have
Fish sticks

Or they can be completely serious:

Soldiers
Freedom fighters
Sent to lands far from home
Protecting the lives of millions
Bravely

Cinquains can have a nature theme to them:

It’s cold
The winter storm
Creeps in without a sound
Laying down a blanket of snow
Frigid

Or they can have a love theme to them:

For you
The one I love
I’ve never known just how
To tell you of my true feelings
For you

They can even have an artsty feel to them:

Moments
Like living art
Each person around you
An actor in an unknown film
Captured

The cinquain is one of the easiest poems you can write, and they can be written by anyone.  It doesn’t matter whether or not you’re a creative writer, or just looking to release a few pent up emotions.  The cinquain is a great way to let your emotions flow.

Creating Your Own Writing Style

The one thing that sets each writer apart from the rest of the world is they’re own unique style.  Some write with an authoritative voice, much like a teacher would speak to a class.  I, personally, try to write as though I’m sitting with my readers, chatting over a cup of coffee.

In order to really make your writing stand out in the crowd, you need to find your own style.  If you try to write like anyone else, your work will may have a stale feel to it.  By putting your own personality into your work, you make it fresher and more exciting.

There will be many experts who will tell you that you should write in a certain tone, depending on your topic or chose genre.  This may work for them, but that doesn’t mean the same is true for you.  The best writing comes from your heart, not from what youve learned from the experts.

I learned this many years ago, when I had some of my poems critiqued by poetry experts.  I’ve always enjoyed writing verse poetry, or poems that rhyme.  According to these experts, my poems were clearly written by an amateur who had no business writing poetry, simply because they rhymed.  I was so devastated that I didn’t write another poem for nearly a year.  That’s when it hit me, I needed to write for me.

I decided to keep writing in my own style, no matter what these experts thought.  I felt that if I changed my style to fit their ideas of what a perfect poem, it was no longer mine.  Since that time, I’ve written my poems in my style and though the experts may hate it, they make me happy.

Don’t let anyone else out there tell you how your work should sound or be written.  Always write in your own unique voice.  Your readers will know the difference and appreciate your efforts.