Why Poetry is SO Important to me

Day two of blogging every day in August, Settle in because you're about to be witness to a very emotional, very unorganised ramble about poetry. Telling you exactly why I love it so much and in many ways, how it saved my life...

I used to be quite dense about poetry, I was always an english addict. That kid with their nose in a book all the time, but poetry never had an effect on me quite like stories did. We studied it at school and i never found a fascination with it, it frustrated me that i didn't always understand the meaning behind it and that it was so subjective. I felt like an idiot not being able to analyse it in a sophisticated way like i could with novels and books.

But i think it takes a broken heart, to understand poetry, at least the really deep stuff. Now during my mental breakdown my emotions became very unsettled and i struggled to find normal outlets for my feelings. I struggled to understand what i was going through, i felt very alone in my mind and my emotions felt way too intense. But then i found poetry and that all changed.

When i say found poetry, i mean i found this new world of literary genius, i found poems that made me feel things, that made me cry and laugh and want to scream with joy. I found poems that described exactly how i was feeling and what i was going through. And i no longer felt alone, i felt like there was at least one thing in the world that understood my pain, poems.

I can't even fully describe how much i love poems, they have the ability to touch you. To reach from the page and into your heart and just give it a very gentle tug. They jump out at you and find you just when you need them the most. They have a way of finding you and changing your life. And i get why people think they're pretentious, because lets face it they are. Especially the old fashioned ones, they reek of aristocracy and privilege. But a well written poem, it's like a friend or a lover. It's something that's there for you, a permanent thing on a page or a screen that reassures you that you are not alone.

Once i truly discovered how much i loved poetry, i struck up the courage to start writing it. And at first i sucked, i think if you read my old poems they're like a dog ran its tongue over a page, they're just shit. But as is the same with any form of creativity, it took time and loyal practice. So, i started writing at least one poem a day and have done for the last year and a half. And i started building confidence in my work, started getting the courage to share with friends and family. I started surrounding myself with different types of poetry and developing a style i was happy with.

And when i'm at university studying Creative Writing, i'm sure i'll develop and get better and better. But it isn't really about my 'talent' it's about how writing it makes me feel. I thought reading it was therapeutic for my mental health, but writing it is something else. To be able to find the words to describe my mental illnesses, to portray my pain in poems, to create mini stories in each line has been the best thing that's ever happened to me. I honestly believe poetry has saved my life. To have an outlet for my creativity, a way in which i can process my thoughts and organise my mind, has been beyond valuable.

I've seen a lot of jokey tweets recently about Rupi Kaur and her poetry. People seem to think they're above poets, that if they joke about the poems they write, that somehow makes them a better person? That they're funny for taking the piss of these poets? The thing is, when you write a poem, it's like a tiny part of your soul goes with it and it's a scary thing. To put so much of yourself into a piece of writing, so much emotion and feeling. Even scarier to share that work with the world. Poets deserve nothing but respect and admiration. And when it comes to Rupi, i will defend her until my dying breath.

Because it was her poetry that saved my life, her poetry that gave me hope and made me want to fight my mental health. Taking the piss of her because you don't like her style of writing is just immature and pathetic. When you make your jokes, consider where i would be without her poems. Not so funny now is it?

Speak soon

Molly
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