Loneliness Packaged in Poems
Many young people today package their loneliness in poems.
For example, a loved one may have been separated for miles and miles away, and would that the poet could reach out to his or her beloved. A loved one may have left and there is no saying if he or she would come back - especially if in the eyes of the one left behind, there is no substitute ever. A loved one may have left permanently for another world, whether gently or suddenly. In all of these, there is nothing but loneliness for the one left behind – the poet. For her or for him, misery is now the company – and it is now expressed in the form of poems.
Usually seen in this kind of poems are words invariably used as “missed,” “sleepless,” “gone,” “die,” “end,” “regret,” “alone,” “forsaken,” “depressed,” “hopeless,” “end,” and “longing.”
Nothing is wrong here if the poet considers that in the process, he, too, is sending out messages of gloom and despair. If he doesn’t do it right, the world of communication has every right to complain.
Writing poems can be therapeutic, but this depends on how the poet uses the avenue. Registering one’s loneliness appears harmless. However, registering is not all there is to writing poems. One can see in poetry writing his progress in some situation – from hurting to acceptance to adjustment. It’s another story, however, if one uses poetry to sustain one’s feelings - of being miserable all the way and loving it. In this regard, one does not seem geared to get up and go from the woeful situation.
If the person is making adjustments, that can be seen in his or her expressions in the poem. The poem rings with words that manifest hope and healing, having some positive ring to it, like “waiting,” “counting,” and “time.” The person has finally made up his or her mind that there is an end to the vacuum created, and that soon everything will be fine – whether by the appearance of the person longed for, or by the acceptance of the situation by the longing writer. In this case, there is clearly more sunshine seeping through one’s life than in the earlier case with a cloudy cap. In other words, poetry writing is working benefits with this kind of poet.
Should a poet understand this side of poetry-writing, one could take advantage of its many therapeutic effects. One can go back to the experience and express oneself – as in full blast, living as though in real time. After that, however, the poet is faced with an impending responsibility. He does not close his doors or windows yet.
This means a poet does not merely register his emotions in a poem and leave them there. The poet must be confronted with the issue: Now, what? Poetry writing does not make the adjustments itself. Conscious effort for change is lodged in the poet who must respond.
The impending responsibility of every poet being mentioned here is taking care of the poem’s denouement. After the freedom of letting go in the earlier part of the poem, the poet should manifest some change towards the end. Why? The poem is not for the poet alone. A great part of it belongs to the community that reads it. As such, the writing should by way of suggestion be positive as it denoues with hope. The other end should be exemplary as in teaching something for a sunny day.
This is where a poem has boundaries. A poem is a form of communication and as such, it is not any different from an essay, a dissertation, or a book. It then has to respect universal conventions in what is right and proper. It has to recognize truth. One example, therefore, that it should not do as it closes is send a message of threat – valid or not.
© Copyright 2006 janeabao (UN:
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