In poetry one can find freedom.
Freedom from the constraints that bind many other genres of writing and a more human freedom that is the freedom to express oneself freely and without bounds.
In grade 5, I left the school I first attended, since kindergarten, to go to a new school, a fine arts school. Writing was key to my studies at this school and there was a long and greatly emphasized unit on poetry. I was also encouraged to write beyond my classwork by a number of teachers that became very influential in my work. They convinced me that I had a gift and was driven to write.
I can still remember a poem that I wrote for a teaching assistant who was a dear friend of my family’s, and a friend of mine. I find it interesting, and amusing, that even now, after all these years, I can still recall the lines to this poem. It fits into the celebration of Valentine’s Day that we acknowledge today.
“Pink roses everyone loves
Elegant beauty, symbol of love.
I know they mean the world to you,
And this is something I love to do.
But there is something that I love more,
It is you Val, whom I adore.”
Pink roses were, and still are a very significant symbol to her, and poetry was a passion of hers as well. I decided to combine the two as a tribute to her when she was going through a difficult time.
I also created an entire poetry book for a Language Arts project that year and I remember being very proud and excited to have received a perfect 100% grade for the work.
Poetry has become a lost love of mine I suppose, for although it continued to be my favourite unit in each and every English class throughout secondary school, the passion and love I immediately felt for it somehow faded over time. Looking back, with each year, the excitement I felt when approaching poetry seemed to have been more and more forgotten. The automatic acknowledgement of my excitement for that unit became less present.
Today, I can’t remember when I stopped writing poetry.
This year in ASTU, after we wrapped up studying Judith Butler, I had completely disregarded the fact that we were coming upon our poetry unit next. It wasn’t until we sat down and began to analyze a series of four poems that my passion for poetry was reignited.
In writing this blog, I’ve had the opportunity to reminisce, to think back to my early school years and remember and confirm that I once truly did love poetry. I’ve reflected upon, realized and articulated these memories. The poems we are studying in ASTU have reignited and renewed my interest in poetry. I love studying each one.
