After a life wrought with beiges, two divorces, and fifty years of depression, my pain began turning towards self expression. I had a lot to say and needed a way to say it. I am no doctor and I write for fun and wellness, mine and others. Writing poetry, journaling and art making are wonderful creative ways to turn the burning inside our heads into positive thinking, researching and recording. I think too many of us focus on the pain of life rather than all that is good.

I found when writing poetry, we can't help but confront our past history to break its hold over us. I am not always aware, at least on a conscious level, of how much my past drive my art. I know for sure God and his creative angels were my partners in everything I managed to finish. I purposely write sublime. The world is too full of sad and ugly. Reality is very restrictive so I like to mix in a little fantasy. I like to write the world absent of the things that bring us pain and anxiety.  It is said the human mind is like an umbrella. It functions best when open. I like to keep my mind open to possibilities and - - what if (s)?   

When sculpting our hearts with poetry, it is good to approach poetry as if it were a game. This is the way I do it, anyway. We need to play connect-the-dots with words and feelings, paying close attention to the sound and flow of our memories, as well as their arrangement on the page. I play connect-the-dots with sentences, images  and pictures. There are no losers when playing this game. 

I am always looking for ideas, metaphors or topics that interest me. I'm always looking for an initial thought burst, a memory or a feeling I can blow out of proportion, and use in a grand over-indulgent way. "You may discover your best poems while writing your worst prose." says Joyce Carol Oates, "As soon as you connect with your true subject, you will write."

 I found this to be so true. However,  when I began studying poetry in college, I found some poetry can be understood while others you can't hope to understand - - but that is okay. We all relate differently to each other and to art. Both writing and reading poetry are individual arts. Both can be a study in thinking and relating to the world around us. We need to open our minds and step into our poems, tasting their ink and feeling their pull at our hearts. Poetry must be felt to be understood. Do you have goosebumps when reading a line? You are feeling art. Does the hair stand up on your skin when reading something unusual? You are feeling the pull of art. Many refer to my poetry as profound and chilling. I try very hard to appeal to the emotions of my readers. My work has been also reviewed as beautiful.

When that perfect line comes to rest in a poem for me, I get goosebumps. Sometimes I cry. Sometime the hair stands up on my arms. I say, "Thank you, God, for giving me sensory touch of poetry."

I discovered all we need to write a poem is an initial brain-burst - - a memory or a nagging emotional feeling to get started. Many of us prefer the simple old fashioned kind of poetry, less negative, bent on healing open wounds rather than describing them. Composing a poem is a lot like making love. Nobody sees the poem happening but it always arouses us and usually ends too quickly! These thoughts and words were taken from my book, Sculpting the Heart.