RANDOM 2
Here we are again, I can write about anything. I will spare you the philosophical talk this time.
I am going to write about poetry. Ever since I was 5, my French teachers made me learn poems, and we had to recite them in front of the class. Every time, this was a stressful experience because what if I just forgot a verse? Then, eventually, I got older, and I was so glad I did not have to recite them anymore, little did I know it would get worse. Now, I had to interpret poems and write essays about them.
For those who are not familiar with the French system, we have a mandatory written exam to asses our literature level. This exam can be about poetry, so we need to read a lot of poems and learn how to interpret them. I was never really good at it because I never understood how the teacher would see stuff in the poems. Once, I said in class, “Professor, I don’t understand poetry,” and he answered, “Maybe poetry does not understand you.” I will never forget that sentence.
I cannot say for certain that I started writing poems because of this, but nonetheless, I did. At first, I would write about my feelings, especially the negative ones, because it is easier. Poetry allowed me to express my feelings and put them on paper so that they made more sense. The more I wrote, the more it started to make sense: finding rhymes is not easy, and making sure the rhythm matches every time is even harder.
After my feelings poems, I started writing about anything that I found beautiful or interesting. This led to very strange poems, but I do not regret any of them. However, I have not written a poem in a long time, but I am sure when the time comes, that I will write again.
2023 Poem that I sent to a college I applied to:
Malay forest
Deep in the Malaysian forests
The birds have made their nests.
Undisturbed and alone in their bed
They live and can't see any human head.
Whilst rain pours and floods the world
The birds sing and to their tree they hold.
Amongst the jungle the elephants cry
Because all of their kids won't survive nor try.
The tigers run and follow their prey
But they don't know that it is the wrong way:
They are headed towards their death And nobody will hear their last breath.
Beware of nature and its calmness, You never know what will happen in her darkness.
Cameron Highlands (Malaysia), 16 August 2023
Hi Alessandro, you make an interesting statement regarding the rhyming and rhythm of poetry. Although many poems do have some structure in this sense, there are also many that do not. This is a particular style of poetry, and it is also very common in song lyrics. I never found poetry to be much more difficult to write about than other materials. In some ways it is often easier because there is no correct answer. What you get out of a poem may be entirely different than what your instructors may see, but this does not make you wrong in your interpretation any more than it makes them right in theirs.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sparing the philosophy Ale, only to bring back the poetry recitation trauma. That part of the French system definitely shaped how I think too, even if it was intense. Your professor’s sharp line was memorable. The poem is powerful, especially the line about the tigers going the wrong way. I’d love to visit the Cameron Highlands someday, your writing captures it beautifully.
ReplyDeleteHi Ale, it is great to hear that you use poetry as an outlet for your feelings and emotions. I feel like my poetry is music, and lyrics are the way to express the ways I am feeling. No matter how I am feeling, there is always a song that can give me clarity.
ReplyDeleteHi Alessandro, I totally relate with your feeling of realizing your connection with poems at a certain point. It is a great way to express feelings. I feel that the more poems I read, the more I want to try and write my own feelings into those poems. Great way to save the unique memories at certain moments.
ReplyDeleteAlessandro, It's fascinating how something that once felt like a burden in school eventually became an outlet for self-expression. Ive never been a huge poetry guy, but I like how you have been able to use them as an outlet.
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