THE SCREECH
Interview with a Poet — Pseu Pending
Thinking about Poetry
For you, poetry is…OR… Poetry is not…
Seu: Thank you for these questions, Zay. Vital in my quest for poetry.
I haven’t written a single line in pre-designed poetry formats since English Literature classes — not till decades later. Yet like many, I’ve been experiencing poetry since birth. To me, poetry didn’t start with English or any verbal language.
One day I got to the point of deep frustration — or was it deep awe? — not writing the tremendous emotions I wished to convey in a few words without going into a lengthy historical explanation. I started condensing my thoughts. Empathy has an enormous impact. To this day, this is how I see poetry.
A quick review of poetic tools helped. Suddenly everything about poetry writing makes sense. I have a lot of respect for poets who radiate in traditional forms — and I enjoy reading them — but that’s not who I am now, nor where I’m going.
I asked a veteran poet friend if I was ready. He said yes. So I published on Medium. You can imagine I fell off the chair when I saw my name among the 30 chosen as “Some of the Best Poets on Medium” in an article on the official Medium blog, even though the said article generated controversy. Nothing…
