What's the point of poetry?
Why I keep writing.
I started writing poetry consistently about four years ago. I found myself encouraged by the poetry of others, even more so, lifted up by the poetry of Scripture in the laments and praises of David, Solomon, and Jeremiah. And I found that posting poetry helped me finish the process of writing and then hand the experience or emotion to God, all of which are life-giving to me.
I try through poetic prayer to capture the truth of our experiences in a sin-sick world and root them in the perspective of God's character and the hope of Jesus. It's a conversation with God over the things I'm learning in bible study or sermons, experiencing in a broken world and feeling in a broken body. It's often an application of Scripture or a recorded conversation with God. Sometimes it’s prayers and laments written for my friends and family.
When we can’t find words to express what we feel, poetry and poetic prayers can equip us to both understand our own experiences and to communicate it to others.
Poetic lament can walk us through indignation, anger, sorrow, and grief towards a God who can both handle all our questions and catch all our tears. And through the stanzas of a poem, our doubts, our fears, our questions, and our tears turn to hope, to trust, and to praise of a good, trustworthy, and powerful God.
Poetic prayer provides an opportunity for corporate lament and praise and a teaching tool for empathy through the often locked door of the heart. Concisely and beautifully written words can help us to understand experiences that are not our own and move us to understand, to feel, and to see.
I don’t yet know what this substack will look like. Over the summer, I plan to think more about what would be both helpful to you, the reader, and reasonable for me, a wife and mom, busy with the sweet gifts of family, church, and work.
Help me out!
What would make you open and read an email from me? What content would be helpful? Send me an email at Kategoescreating@gmail.com. I’d love to hear from you.