I love words. They're the best; far superior to numbers. It took me six years to pass a college math class, and about six minutes to fall in love with my first poetry class, have my heart broken to find out the gorgeous professor was married (just kidding!), and have my soul mended with the words of the title poem of his debut chapbook, "Old Bright Wheel" which can be purchased for $14.95 + shipping from Merick Press. It remains to this day my very favorite poem, and I do hope you'll consider purchasing his book(s) to read it, and the rest. The book is less than a quarter-inch thick and it made me cry 6 times.
What I love most about reading a good poem is the fact that so much can be said with so little, and in such different ways that anyone can interpret them to mean whatever they need them to mean. Poetry is a balm for the soul and knows no boundaries. So many styles, formats, designs, so many words we hear every day but constructed in such a way that we never take the time to appreciate the beauty of the arrangement. The personal touches from each and every poet give it a universality that surpasses any other type of writing, in my humble opinion. Stories are passed down and changed through time as they pass into different ears and tumble off various tongues. Poems are condensed stories that don't have to change because it is, what it is. The translation comes from within.
As I said earlier, I tend to mush things up a bit. I love a good flowery phrase, something that tugs at the heartstrings. Being in love is grand, and being in love with someone that you know you'll love forever is even better. (And I know I'll love him forever because I already have. I counted.) However, that's a pretty long time and what better way to pass it by and preserve it than through poetry? This isn't a new idea - lovers have been writing down their flowery feels for centuries. Two of my favorite poets, Elizabeth (Barrett) and Robert Browning, chronicled their love affair for the generations to come and I've sought much comfort from her words, knowing I'm not the only woman who loves someone like this. I'm a sucker for a good fairy tale.
Love notes make the best poems. Just sayin'.
You can rip it apart, put different words together, make it something new and beautiful. Upcycle your love into more love! I've written an entire collection based on love notes passed between me and my now-husband, while we were in high school making big ol' cow eyes at each other.
On that note, I leave you with a poem I wrote a while back, aptly titled.
This, and a handful of other writings by the very talented Ms. Geva Salerno and others, can be found at her website, www.gevasalerno.com
LOVE NOTE
If I could, I’d drop all of your promises
In my pocket and carry them around
Like little love notes, reminders
Of every time you made me smile.
Even the smallest moments make their way
To the archives of my mind
Because you’re worth keeping,
So much more than I ever thought
A man could be. With me,
The girl who never got it right.
Now you know a bit about me, a bit about what I'm going to aim to write about, and there will be updates each Saturday, though I guess "Saturday Evening Post" was already taken. Huh.
I'll share some of my favorite poems, classics I admire, and if readers are interested, they may e-mail me at smbenjamin412@aol.com to inquire about having their work posted. I wanna read your feels!!! :)
xoxo
