Why I write and post poetry
And why maybe you should to...
I started writing poetry consistently about 5 years ago. I found myself encouraged by the poetry of others, and lifted up by the poetry of Scripture in the laments and praises of David, Solomon, and Jeremiah.
You’re here, reading these words, so you are either a friend of mine or enjoy poetry enough to follow a stranger. I’m guessing you don’t need proof of the value of reading poetry, but it might be helpful for you to read the value of writing it through my own experience.
I was afraid of two things in the beginning: 1. Writing bad poetry and 2. Appearing pretentious. My perspective changed when my son was born five years ago. I thought, "Even if my poetry isn't good, it might be worthwhile to him, written for him and by his mom." It gave a me purpose for poetry beyond myself, and It gave me the confidence to practice something I enjoyed without beginning as an expert - This is a very foolish mentality. Do not imitate me in this. Everyone starts a new skill as a beginner. And learning a new creative skill that you enjoy (both gifts from god) is valuable in itself, without a perfect product to show for it.
Have you felt these fears? What’s keeping you from writing poetic prayers?
WHY I WRITE POETRY:
Writing poetry has become an invaluable process of prayer and reflection in my own life. It allows me to feel with freedom, pursue and reflect on the truth of Scripture, and then release the experience rooted in the character of God and the hope of heaven. Poetry and poetic prayer have become a part of my study and devotional life. I am usually struck by a phrase, new learning, conviction, or experience I want to write down and process. Sometimes it’s an experience of incredible joy or incredible grief, sometimes it’s a response to a sermon or study.Writing down what I'm feeling in poetic form helps me to name and understand my emotions, why I feel them, and how it is being used right now by God for my good and his glory. It helps to cement a conviction of what I see God teaching me. I can wrestle with words, timing, and format in a way that relieves emotional congestion and then let go of it. I often write and edit through tears. Writing, editing, and designing a poem often causes me to feel physical and emotional relief, like an open-handed exhale to God, “I submit to your sovereign hand in this, You are good, powerful, and in control. I trust you.”
WHY I POST POETRY:
God placed me in the right age to share through social media. It has been a sweet gift to share poetry with other people without feeling they have an obligation to engage or enjoy it. People are free to follow or unfollow. To consume as much as is helpful without pretense. I know for some creatives social media has been almost a monster of pressure for constant content creation. I understand that pressure, but it has been a great tool for me to slowly grow an audience interested and encouraged by a public poetic prayer record with universal experiences of pain, tension, grief, hope, and joy. I’m very grateful.
Many of these words were written for an interview with Kimberly Phinney, The Way Back to Ourselves. Read the full interview here.
A POEM FOR THE ROAD:
I feel the terrible tension
- this burden to write
with the overwhelming
awareness of the question,
"Who am I?"
But if God gives me the talents,
They aren't mine to hide.
If God writes my story,
My withholding it is pride.
The most self-forgetful thing
I can do is to try.
Without fear
Of failing or succeeding
In human terms.
By writing and showing
And posting these words,
I am trusting a sovereign God
With the sovereign outcomes.
Whether my words are read
By none or one
Or by one thousand.
If they are from Him
and for Him,
I humbly lay them down
before Him.
A fragrant offering.
These words,
the stories of our lives -
Yours and mine -
Have divine value
When they are offered
Back to the God
Who gave them to us.
“Offerings”
6.9.23