How Poetry Has Affected Me

Poetry has given me a way to express myself

To process my deepest thoughts

That I don’t dare let anybody know

Poetry is what brought my mama to tears

Broke down the wall that separated us

Poetry is a unique type of writing

Simple and complex at the same time

It makes others think and can leave people speechless

Even if anything else I say, doesn’t

It’s an under-appreciated art I fell in love with

People don’t know I write

They think I’m a bookworm

They’re not completely wrong

But I am so much more than that

I write every time I’m angry

Every time I’m frustrated

Every time I can’t get something out of my head

That’s when I’ll be furiously typing

Or writing till my hand hurts

And people will ask what I'm doing

I simply say "I'm dealing with something"

Without poetry,

I don’t think I would have found myself

And I probably would have ruined some friendships

For saying the wrong things at the wrong time to people

But all the writing allowed me to keep myself at bay

Poetry has made me a better person