I am a poet. I see everything in poetic metaphor in music and painting, in life itself . I compose them continually. I believe I am a good poet and I have stopped writing for anyone else but myself. I have had some of my poems published in magazines and journals but I have always felt I was trying to please everyone else. Walt Whitman has taught me a valuable lesson; poetry must come from where the heart is and that is 'truth'. This art took a turn when I began having conversations within them. Prior to that they were just affectations of other styles. Poetry is not a formal structure but a process of discovering what is truly felt. I am perfectly capable of writing poems that are constructed in every style and love poets from down through the ages and in every culture but my journey has been about finding an individual 'voice' that is unique to myself. It means appearing clumsy at times but I am happy with what I say and what I am discovering. I am very spiritual and prefer writing love poems above all. It is where my heart sings mostly. The ancient meaning for a poem is song. It is psalm and music. How one interprets that music is essential to the process even in its silence. It is dissonance and harmony or a combination of both.
I believe I am a strong writer and am more confident with it than any other art form. I have a freedom with words that comes natural to me. I can be the acrobat I wish with greater liberty. Sadly, poets are some of the poorest people in the world. We bleed for our art. Obediah Smith, a well known Bahamian poet, has coined the phrase that a poem is ' the universe summed up into a drop.' I can give an academic response to how poetry should be written but ultimately I believe there is no right or wrong way to approach it. Many have challenged that notion.It is important to read a lot as well as learn to look at the world with honesty. Everything is about finding out who you are in a poem. Being able to place it within a story whether about you or another circumstance is essential. It is the most visual of all the art forms technically or other wise. I like to sketch realities drawing on feelings - that is my style. I am inspired by the lyricism of the streets. There is motion and movement that has its own rhythm. I am confronted with life daily in a raw nakedness.I feel and see it with my heart. It is central to all I do. I can be very guilty of being far too sentimental which may come across as cliche but I am working on that. I prefer to be unfetted and have chosen to reveal some the metaphors I use which are predominately spiritual in nature but are seldom discussed any more- many have been forgotten. I also try to incorporate new metaphors. I am not an academic at all in my poems and resent others attempting to correct me when they have little understanding of what I am doing. That goes for everything I do. I am often at odds with the 'experts' and challenge their interpretations continually.I could go on and on about poetry like music but prefer just to be the bard. I will begin selling them again down at the wharf and continue to do it my way.It is important to remain true to oneself...peace...
I believe I am a strong writer and am more confident with it than any other art form. I have a freedom with words that comes natural to me. I can be the acrobat I wish with greater liberty. Sadly, poets are some of the poorest people in the world. We bleed for our art. Obediah Smith, a well known Bahamian poet, has coined the phrase that a poem is ' the universe summed up into a drop.' I can give an academic response to how poetry should be written but ultimately I believe there is no right or wrong way to approach it. Many have challenged that notion.It is important to read a lot as well as learn to look at the world with honesty. Everything is about finding out who you are in a poem. Being able to place it within a story whether about you or another circumstance is essential. It is the most visual of all the art forms technically or other wise. I like to sketch realities drawing on feelings - that is my style. I am inspired by the lyricism of the streets. There is motion and movement that has its own rhythm. I am confronted with life daily in a raw nakedness.I feel and see it with my heart. It is central to all I do. I can be very guilty of being far too sentimental which may come across as cliche but I am working on that. I prefer to be unfetted and have chosen to reveal some the metaphors I use which are predominately spiritual in nature but are seldom discussed any more- many have been forgotten. I also try to incorporate new metaphors. I am not an academic at all in my poems and resent others attempting to correct me when they have little understanding of what I am doing. That goes for everything I do. I am often at odds with the 'experts' and challenge their interpretations continually.I could go on and on about poetry like music but prefer just to be the bard. I will begin selling them again down at the wharf and continue to do it my way.It is important to remain true to oneself...peace...
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