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Encounter with a Collared Lizard
A collared lizard, a dinosaur in miniature, crosses our path, stops to sun itself on a limestone rock in a dry stream bed, a meeting of species that seems serendipitous, if not predestined, even in the vast desert of space and time, as if my human life is no accident, but some sort of blessing, not from the God who lives in churches, demanding worship and sacrifice, but from the goddess of small places and little lives, the goddess who can't wipe the smile from her face. |
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Why poetry? Well, because I can't sing, without making dogs howl, that is. Like all humans, I have a need to communicate and what else is poetry but a way for one human being to communicate with another.
I write because I need a way to positively express myself as, I believe, do all people. Poetry provides catharsis and healing, a tool I use to better understand myself. Poetry helps me think on a deeper level, feeds my curiosity and is a journey of exploration. I don't know where a poem may take me at its inception; I must have the open-mindedness and courage to follow it to its destination. Everything I experience affects me and I think it's a characteristic of being human to want to communicate this. I write to satisfy my own needs but must keep the reader/listener in mind; communication is a two-way street. How can I communicate with this unseen person meaningfully? A poet is an artist who creates with words as his/her medium. An artist must be an entertainer, as well, on a less superficial level than "entertainer" currently holds in our society. Entertainment cheers, soothes and comforts. If my writing does not entertain, how can I expect anyone to read or listen to what I write?
I write because I need a way to positively express myself as, I believe, do all people. Poetry provides catharsis and healing, a tool I use to better understand myself. Poetry helps me think on a deeper level, feeds my curiosity and is a journey of exploration. I don't know where a poem may take me at its inception; I must have the open-mindedness and courage to follow it to its destination. Everything I experience affects me and I think it's a characteristic of being human to want to communicate this. I write to satisfy my own needs but must keep the reader/listener in mind; communication is a two-way street. How can I communicate with this unseen person meaningfully? A poet is an artist who creates with words as his/her medium. An artist must be an entertainer, as well, on a less superficial level than "entertainer" currently holds in our society. Entertainment cheers, soothes and comforts. If my writing does not entertain, how can I expect anyone to read or listen to what I write?