Poetry

Not many people know this about me, but I like to write poetry. I guess it started in English class when students were forced to write poetry, but since I liked the rhyming aspect, I enjoyed those assignments. I even won $75 in a poetry contest in high school. The poems from my school girl days are pretty fluffy: they're about animals and fashion and the like. And the poems my dad and I write every Christmas to holiday songs are pretty silly. Some of my favorite poetry that I wrote was for a Hinduism class in college, in which I retold the story of the Ramayana through Taylor Swift. I wrote my own lyrics to the tunes of four Taylor Swift songs, and it actually turned out really well (so not only does Swift heal my heart with her songs, she also helps me get good grades in school).

But I do have more serious poetry as well. My winter break between 2008-2009 was the first time I was in love, and I just had the urge to write about it. I think in a single weekend I wrote 2 or 3 love poems that just jumped in my mind and I had to write them down on paper before they disappeared (I don't think I had written any poetry since my sophomore year of high school at that point). And I've written songs about heart break, too, some being very dramatic (the "OMG, I'm going to die this hurts so much" kind) and others simply have a resentful tone about them (the "Man, you are such an idiot to let me go" kind). Granted, no one gets to read these poems, not even the people that they're about. They're just my favored form of self-expression, meant for my eyes (and heart) only.

I think it's very important to find a way to express yourself that doesn't involve other people. Of course venting and crying to your mom or best friend is the easiest and most immediate method of expression, but sometimes you either are alone, or you just don't want to bring someone into the situation. So whether that's writing in a journal, meditating and musing over your own thoughts, creating some work of art, etc., it's such a relief to be able to get your feelings out without necessarily having to show everyone how you feel.