Subtle Lessons From the Art of Poetry

Poetry has taught me not only to to look around

But to really see the little details in life

As time passes by

The way the sun beams break through the clouds and give me hope

The way lightning crackles across the sky in a split second and if you blink

You’ll miss it

The way rain washes over a window as if it’s washing a slate for a new beginning

The way a river glides or stampedes down its path and I remember a song from a Disney movie

Or the way the ocean waves fill my lungs with peace and serenity

How the people in my life change

Over weeks

Years

And I take a step back to see
How they think

What loop their mind might be stuck in

Or how much they’ve grown

Or how much I love and appreciate them

It’s taught me about my past

My own patterns

Things about myself

It seems only someone else could have told me

Poetry has taught me lessons about school

I don’t learn in class

By personifying a subject

Transforming it from my worst enemy to my greatest challenge

And putting me in the mindset that I can conquer the world

It’s taught me about love and hate

How your love for someone can have limits but still go on

How hate can feel like icy, hot rage and seen as a hurt soul

It has taught me how to quiet the buzz inside my head

How to pick myself up on a low day

How to see someone from another perspective

It has showed me an outlet

A way for me to talk about the things swimming around in my subconscious mind

Without saying a word

Each time I write

And learn something

I’m grateful that the words come so easily

So that I can look at the end product

With eyes that have opened up a little more