5 Poems That Explain The Writer's Life So Well
Start writing a post
Entertainment

5 Poems That Explain The Writer's Life So Well

Poetry is life in and out of motion.

353
5 Poems That Explain The Writer's Life So Well

Not many people consider the words they are saying. Once they are said, they cannot be unsaid. Ironically, the spoken word is as temporary as regular conversation, which rarely bids to not just build appreciation, but advocation for the power of language. The written word belongs to every person, and every person is a page, ready to continue our conversations, including the ones who opened their inkwells to start them. Here are five poems that show how writing and words effect our lives.

1. "Digging" by Seamus Heaney.

upload.wikimedia.org

Urgency and performing the task at hand well is one of the priorities given to a writer. The first stanza of this Nobel Prize in Literature poet, carries a dire, if not necessary, weight: "Between my finger and my thumb / The squat pen rests; snug as a gun." The tumble of the tides of time show true in the childhood and adulthood of the poem's speaker. The scarcity is boundless, the work is considerate but concise, and the performance is penultimate. It leaves the reader and aspiring writers digging for more.

2. "so you want to be a writer" by Charles Bukowski.

Blank on Blank

Imposition is the highest form of dastardly. Every writer is a tin man, but somewhere inside them is a beating heart. The issue sometimes is wearing that heart on our sleeves. Charles Bukowski is emotionally calculating without fluff or pomp in his poem about being a writer: "if you have to wait for it to roar out of you, / then wait patiently. / if it never does roar out of you, / do something else." The "something else" could imply that the moment or thought has not presented itself yet until you break the mold or try a different approach. It is a manifesto of ultimatums and affirmations, many and limited respectively. Writing is not all boil and toil. If anything, it is a recipe waiting to be savored at the table.

3. "The Rose That Grew From Concrete" by Tupac Shakur.

Thug Theory

Rhythm and poetry makes the spoken and written word work well together. When you know your favorite song by heart, you apply those words and their meaning to your thoughts, your actions, your life. The Harlem-borned rapper, 2Pac, gives life to his experience growing up in disadvantaged and criminalized settings: "Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams / it learned 2 breathe fresh air." Despite the circumstances of where you are at, that does not mean that this is where you are going. Life is temporary and so are its moments, good and bad. Face the odds, make them even.

4. [i carry your heart with me(i carry it in] by E.E. Cummings.

i1.wp.com

Feeling is the best thinking you can do, and E.E. Cummings' poem gets at the heart of just that. He demystifies mystification in a mysterious manner that is both close to home and somewhere where longing is farthest from it. Rather than leave definitions, he invites the reader to supply and feel his own: "and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant / and whatever a sun will always sing is you." Cummings is pressed with life's gifts and who we come to share them with, beat after beat.

5. Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll.

upload.wikimedia.org

Pure fantasy finds the familiar and ordinary gives it more meaning than what it said to be. Ubiquity is not the same as multiplicity; the first is generalized marginalization while the second is a specific series of sensations. With Lewis Carrol's Wonderland creature and poem, Jabberwocky, it is a triumph and freedom of the imagination. The writer breaks conventions after learning them, he lays bricks and to our surprise cements them with Silly Putty instead.

Poems are digestible yet powerful performance pieces of language. They teach us to use our words well.

Other poems to read are "Ozymandias," "The Highwayman," "Spain," "For a Coming Extinction," "God's Grandeur," "The Cremation of Sam McGee," "Tam o' Shanter," "As I Began to Love Myself," and "The Road Not Taken."

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

12800
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

943753
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

121153
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lots of people sat on the cinema wearing 3D glasses
Pinterest

Ever wonder what your friend meant when they started babbling about you taking their stapler? Or how whenever you ask your friend for a favor they respond with "As You Wish?" Are you looking for new and creative ways to insult your friends?

Well, look no further. Here is a list of 70 of the most quotable movies of all time. Here you will find answers to your questions along with a multitude of other things such as; new insults for your friends, interesting characters, fantastic story lines, and of course quotes to log into your mind for future use.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments