Theories of a poetic nature

I was lying in bed trying to fall sleep, as I had to rise relatively early the next morning, but there was a nagging in my brain that wouldn’t let me drift away. It was nothing more than a short string of words, floating through my head, reflecting on an experience that had been near to my heart and mind for some time. I tried to convince myself that I should sleep and just write out the phrase in the morning, but there was no use in trying to convince myself.

My mind was eased only after turning on the lamp and putting all the words down on paper. From that first stroke of the pen, the words flowed from me, filling the page. The poems from that night are snapshots of my heart and mind, illustrations of brief moments on the time line of my life.

Poetry isn’t my chosen literary form. Actually, I have a problem even calling poetry a literary form, as it is so much more than the written word. It is so much more than an artistic form — as it is an essence, an emotion, a beauty that cannot be sequestered into any one expressive form. It is that moment, thought, feeling, or idea that is captured by the artist, whether they be scientist, author, painter, dancer, or any of a myriad of other formal or informal occupations, with whatever tools they choose to use.

I’ve rarely attempted to capture these moments of beauty on paper, so I am somewhat proud of the times I have managed to do that successfully (though reluctant to share those successes with others). More successful than my poetic interpretations on paper have been those in the form of photographs.

Even as I strive to capture that poetic essence in my photographs and, at times, on paper, I am deeply indebted to many who have chosen other avenues of expression. Musicians, such as Beethoven, Clint Mansell, Hawksley Workman, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and many more; painters, including Kelly Pound, Sheila LeBlanc-Joyce, Wayne Boucher; many photographers, such as Noah Grey; many writers, including Jerry Spinelli, Mark Haddon, and John Wyndham…there are so many more people worthy of being here. I don’t expect the names on this list to mean anything to you; instead, replace these names with those from your own life. These names represent just a few people I have come across who have captured that essence that is poetry and shared it with me, whether directly or indirectly. They are artists who speak into my life with snippets of beauty and emotion — they are people who make my heart sing.

When looking at the formation of poetic expression, it is hard not to wonder if poetry begets poetry. In the example I shared, my poetic writings seem to have been prodded into being by my attendance at a concert which was full of poetic expression, even though the concert had nothing to do with the contents of my writings. The barrage of poetry (lyrical, musical, and even physical) that night brought me into a state of mind wherein the easiest way to deal with those ideas and feelings was to put them on paper — to write poetry. To be more clear on the point, I suppose I should say that poetic expression incubates further (and wider) poetic expression. It greases the gears, if you will.

At long last, a question: do you have poetic incubators in your life? Who is on your list of people who bring beauty, emotion — poetry — into your life? And finally, are you finding your own way to capture those poetic moments that are unique to you?

Please, do. And when you’re ready, share them. Many people are waiting for you to prod their own poetry into being; they just need your name to be on their list.