Need a few good reasons to write a poem? Putting words on paper can help you make sense of the world around you, express your deepest emotions, and give you a healthy way cope with whatever is on your mind. As a bonus, you’ll feel pretty accomplished once you’re done!
Do you think that your friends might laugh if you told them you were writing a poem—or that your family members would tease you about it?
Believe or not, people would probably be pretty impressed if you wrote a poem that felt meaningful to you. After all, some of the world’s most well respected songwriters, rappers, and performers are actually poets who channel their voices into the written and spoken word.
While you might not find fame and fortune writing about your life, current events, or an important topic that’s on your mind (at least, not immediately!), there are plenty of benefits and incentives to grabbing your pen or laptop. Here are just five of the reasons to get started writing a poem.
- Reason 1: It can help you figure out how you feel. Let’s face it: Life is confusing! Maybe a friend recently said something rude to you, and you weren’t sure how to respond. Writing down what happened can help you sort out your emotions. Maybe you’re feeling excited, angry, betrayed, nervous or guilty—or perhaps you’re feeling a few of those things at once. Putting words on paper allows you organize your thoughts.
- Reason 2. You’ve had total unique experiences. Nobody else has been through exactly what you’ve been though—and that makes you special. By writing a poem, you can show off your unique perspective on life.
- Reason 3. Poetry is a powerful form of self-expression. Odds are, there’s something that really want to say—something that you want to shout from the rooftops. Maybe you’re in love. Maybe you’re mad at your mom or dad. Maybe you’re sick and tired of being alone. Maybe you can’t stand it when people litter. Whatever your message is, a poem gives you an opportunity to communicate it eloquently and even spread it, if you’re up for reading it out loud or publishing your work.
- Reason 4. Writing can help you cope. Say you didn’t get into the college of your dreams or your crush just broke your heart. These types of scenarios can feel humiliating and overwhelming—and there’s nothing that you can do to go back in time and change the outcome. But writing a poem about how sad or frustrated you’re feeling, you may actually start to perk up. Instead of keeping your emotions bottled up, writing helps you get them out into the open and deal with them. Think of it as a form of therapy that’s totally free. Plus, if you share your poem, you’re likely to find that others will connect with your words and relate to what you’re saying. That can help you feel less alone. Try taking part in National Poetry Month, the worl'd's largest poetry celebration, to feel connected to other poets in your community.
- Reason 5. Poems can help you see the world differently. One thing that can turn a good poem into a great poem is adding details. And this might encourage you to become more observant in everyday life. For example, if you walk by a lake, you might think at first, “That’s a blue lake.” But after writing a poem, you might take a closer look at it and think, “That’s an navy blue lake with small, rippling waves that’s filled with regal, white geese and surrounded by thick, green pines.”
There are dozens of other reasons to write a poem…once you get started, you’ll find some powerful motivation of your own!
Image via Ruby Canoe
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