Poh-eh.Tree.

Sweet sounds.
RRRRaw rhymes.
Like honey drip-dropping
or razor blades etching,
words ARE.
Healing or destructive.

Today is World Poetry Day, and I adore that this art form has a designated day to celebrate.

I love the freedom that putting ink to paper brings.

Some days it's like setting doves free into the sky, giving voice to positive thoughts flying forth into the world.

Other times, it's letting the black ink mirror the darkest angst of your soul, knowing if you didn't dispel those thoughts, bitterness would wrap its hardened hand around yours.

I found the power of the pen somewhere around age 14. One of my first attempts was a forlorn rhyme-fest adolescently entitled, "We'll always have the stars." (I sort of throw up a little bit reflecting back to my juvenile thoughts.)

Poetry as therapy continued through my growing years. For most of high school I wrote voraciously...never really publishing, but continually penning things that were half poem/half journal entry. I'm sure some of it was good, but mostly I just hung at coffee houses and chain-smoked with fellow writers. How incredibly bohemian of us.

College was, well, a blur, and anything I recorded was mostly about how nothing was coming together and I wasn't understood. I think most of these volumes are at my parent's house, although one chronicle was painfully returned by someone I'd given it to in an effort to make my written soul more understood than he could comprehend in my present actions.

He added his own words at the end. I still can't read them.

Since I've been in KC, I've written ferociously. I'd like to give more focus to the content...make things more cohesive, but my style tends to combine observation, prayer and poetic thought. I've made my peace with it, and enjoy it for what it is. Something necessary for my sanity. Something only I need to be ok with.

So, I'll let the real poets have their stage, and enjoy from my journal's confines :)

For the rest of you aspiring Walt Whitmans or Maya Angelous, take today to celebrate the word. Write something beautiful for yourself.

Or, investigate local events and the world-wide forum.

Here are a few poetic outlets that you might dig:

Upendo (see details above). Two amazing talents, Faith Scott and Bonafyde G, will be reading at my party this Saturday. I'm so jazzed that the journey will be given the verbalization it deserves, and these two poets will do it justice.

KC Poets. This online forum just goes to show that KC has some amazing talent and with all the events, jazz poetry jams, and throw downs, we can seriously compete with big cities. I went to U-Lit’s Wednesday night event at Kabal, and it was hot. Check these things out – don’t be afraid to expose yourselves to new things.

Pablo Neruda. One of my all-time, most-favoritest, mad-super-crazy-awesome poets, Neruda is sensual, connected to nature, and spoke to my heart just as well at 15, as he does at 25. This is one of my favorites.

Jill Scott. I’ve loved her music ever since her first album. Not only can the woman sing, but her lyrics give one pause. Case in point – Love Rain.

Word.