Wrapping Up September with Poetry on My Mind

I wrapped September up with poetry on my mind. This month, I created four new poems, shared them with an audience at a wine-and-poetry event, and attended a poetry performance bootcamp over the weekend. Each experience taught me more about my craft.

One of the most valuable parts of this journey has been meeting other poets who also struggle with performance anxiety. For me, I often get stuck in my head—wondering if anyone will understand my poem—instead of focusing on how I deliver it.

The three-hour workshop was all about getting comfortable with your work and tuning in to the audience you’ll be performing in front of. One piece of advice that stuck with me: know the intention behind your poem before you read it. I realized I have poems with different intentions, and it’s time I start grouping them so I know which ones best fit open mics.

My goal was to memorize one poem, but by the time I got to the workshop, I had only about a third of it memorized. And when nerves kick in, memorization can fly straight out the window—I’m sometimes lucky if I even remember to breathe.

Still, I walked away with valuable feedback and advice that I’ll carry into my future open mics. I even have a video from my rehearsals that shows my progress. Each practice is a step toward greatness, and I’m committed to getting there.

 

My Poetry Identity

Many people have asked me what type of poet am I and I have an hard time answering them.  I write whatever’s on my mind or how I’m feeling that just happens to rhyme. I  respect art in all forms — songs, poems, and creative writing. I get wrapped up in lyrics, word play, and it brings me to my emotional knees.  Throughout our whole life we constantly have rules we have to obeyed by, laws we must not break, along with moral and ethic we grew up with and many times we are forced to hold in our feelings because we are afraid of being judged.  I write through my trauma, my celebrations, my fustratins, and fantasies to make me feel better. It's a form of therapy for me. I am not trying to impress anyone, I am simply trying to vent a way through my life's ups and down.

But to answer it professionaly, “I’m a contemporary poet who writes from real emotions and everyday experiences. I don’t box myself into one genre — I write whatever’s on my mind, whatever I’m feeling in the moment. Sometimes it rhymes, sometimes it doesn’t — but it always tells the truth-my truth.”

 

Smelling Fall in the Air

 

I can’t believe it’s already September—I can smell fall in the air. Lately, I’ve been keeping myself busy with my upcoming project while also enjoying a few poetry events.

Just last night, I attended a poetry workshop at my neighborhood library and had such a great time. I’m starting to get more comfortable reading my poetry out loud, though I know I still need to work on my performance. In our small group, we took turns sharing pieces of our work. I loved seeing how other poets, just as bashful as I am at first, blossomed once they began reading.

There were poems about storms, the first love of writing, letter writing, nature, and even driving down the interstate. It always amazes me how creatively expressive poets can be—I even found myself closing my eyes at times, just to sink deeper into their words.

I shared four poems: three from my self-published book and one new piece that I’m currently working on memorizing.

I’m excited to see where this writing journey takes me next. Wherever the GPS leads, I’m buckled up for the ride.