Poetry- Writing and Reading

Death. It’s as much a part of life as being born and, by far, more fascinating to poets. The amount of poetry written about death and dying could lead you to believe that the topic plays on the mind of poets quite frequently. And why shouldn’t it? People have been fascinated with death as far back in history as history goes, so the records tell us.

Ancient Egyptians’ lives were intertwined with their fixation of death and the afterlife. As most people know, Egyptians mummified the body after death and buried it with worldly items it would need in the afterlife. Many of these same Egyptians worshiped Osiris, the king of the dead, who had a large cult following. Greeks believed that mortals lived out the afterlife in Hades. Hades was home to both the Elysian Fields (a paradise) and Tartarus (an abyss of suffering). Modern Christians believe in Heaven (a paradise) and Hell (a place of damnation) and that you are judged upon death then sent to live out your existence in one of the two places. Many other religions believe in reincarnation (the soul being reborn into another body).

No matter what your belief on death, it either already has, or will, touch you at some point in your life - be it sooner or later, you cannot escape it. And when it does touch you, how will you react to it? If you are a poet, perhaps you will write about it. When you do write about it, how will you approach it? Let’s look at a couple of examples of what two others have done.

Emily Dickinson in Because I Could Not Stop for Death takes a very mellow approach to death and is quite accepting of it. She writes:

Because I could not stop for Death–
He kindly stopped for me–
The Carriage held but just Ourselves–
And Immortality.

In complete contrast, Dylan Thomas in Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night states:

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

What approach will you take? What angle will you give it? Where are you coming from? Maybe you’ll emulate one of these poets or carve your own path somewhere in between. Whatever the case may be, remember to be descriptive, choose your words carefully, and try to say what you’re going to say in a fresh, new way (I know that’s easier said than done).

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“[Henry David] Thoreau is a keen and delicate observer of nature - a genuine observer - which, I suspect, is almost as rare a character as even an original poet; and Nature, in return for his love, seems to adopt him as her especial child, and shows him secrets which few others are allowed to witness.” – Nathaniel Hawthorne (Journal entry, September 1, 1842)

Most of the greatest poets were not recognized for their work until they had long been laid to rest. Many suffered great difficulties in their personal lives, which may have led the poet to the wellspring from which they drew their words.

It has been suggested that poetry was used in our long distant past as a creative means of passing along traditions and history simply because the poetic language was easy to memorize and enjoyable to recite. The bards in medieval times were renowned for their use of poetry.

From free verse to rhyme and meter, poetry remains a benchmark in the world of literature. The pursuit of poetic markets remains a positive way to further an ancient form of storytelling that requires a special gift while the poet’s emotions are largely exposed.

Poetry is the one element of writing that impacts the emotions of writers more than any other. The vulnerable feel of poetry allows a writer to explore circumstances and emotions in a way that is difficult to do in most writing genres.

Most poets craft their words as a stress release and rarely share them with the world at large, however, there may be markets available for poetry.

It is true that publishers of poetry are about as plentiful as wheat fields in the Arctic, but there are other avenues for your poetry that can allow you to publish your material in unique and memorable ways.

Greeting card publishers are always interested in new succinct poems to share with card buyers. Poems can also be artfully placed on a line of gift merchandise including mugs and artwork suitable for framing.

In our modern era you would be hard-pressed to find someone who is able to make a living writing poetry. However poetry can provide a source of writing income and is often a creative outlet for those who also write in other genres.

It is true there are those who have little appreciation for poetry, yet the poet’s work has brought about significant societal debate and ultimate change in our world. Perhaps this is because the reader is invited to share the writer’s perspective in an emotional way that allows a perspective to be heard with something other than ears.

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