Poetry Symposium

I really enjoyed listening to the poets speak at the Poetry Symposium: Living by Poetry.

What I found most interesting about the symposium was when the poets talked about important poetry is to them.

Art said that he tried to not write any poetry for a year or so. He said that it almost destroyed him. To me it seems incredible that the simple act of poetry (or lack thereof) can have that much effect on someone. He was literally in pain and didn't feel like himself because he was not writing. I think for Art, poetry is his release from life. He can focus his emotions on something other people. I think he uses poetry as an outlet to express his feelings and thoughts. I believe that everyone needs some outlet for expression. It is not healthy to go through life with a jumbled mess of emotions hidden deep down inside. Life if full of unexpected twists and turns and I think a part of dealing with those events is to express in some way how you feel about them.

After some reflection I realized that there are many things in my life I could not go a year without doing. The first one that comes to mind is playing the piano. At home I play the piano almost everyday. Sometimes I practice for a few hours and sometimes I just play. Practice and play are very different and serve different purposes. However, I enjoy both and would miss both if my piano was somehow taken away. Like poetry is for Art, the piano is my outlet of expression. I choose the songs I play based on my feelings, the weather, what time of day it is, where I am, and who is listening. I can play softly when I'm sad and loud when I'm angry. The piano is a blank canvas on which I can create any sort of picture that I want. Without that I think I would feel lost and maybe a part of me would be destroyed, much like Art when he stopped writing poetry.

Another interesting part of Art's story was that he said poetry found him. He was 17 years old when he wrote his first poem and besides that one year period, he has been writing poetry ever since. I am interested to know what called upon him to write that first poem. What was it about? Was it something he would publish today? One thing about life that is very interesting to me is the concept of firsts. What was your first poem, the first song you played on the piano, the first school you ever went to, your first kiss, your first solo drive. The first time we ever do something can be terrifying, or exhilarating but all first time experiences have some sort of meaning.