I Found Myself

My soul is my muse Poetry is the window to my soul. Emotions tumultuous were its inception. And being born on February 27th, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's birthday, Sparked an interest as a youth. Having a low self esteem, Wanting to be important added to the fire. And to me, as a child, a poet seemed so special. I wanted to be special, too. Not realizing then, that I was. So when my soul cried out in pain, I began to rhyme my way to peacefulness. Sporadically, one sad misery at a time, And when my soul needed amusement, It was rhyme time again. And that was just the beginning. Over a lifetime, I wrote a poem here A poem there, a few song lyrics, Simple and full of raw emotion, joy. Pain. And my soul was uplifted each time. The need to feel important left. God, family, and love became my reality. A life full of adventures and traumas became tame. And poetry became my essence. A word-game to fill any emptiness, Any boredom, every joy, An expression of every thought That was conceived within myself. Then one day, I said to myself, I think I will try writing poetry – Seriously. And see if I am any good. I stumbled onto Poetry Soup. Encouraged by kindnesses. Challenged by contests. Enriched by some level of success. I became the poet that I am. My humble soul looked up And thanked God for helping me. My soul is my muse, my inspiration. But Poetry Soup has been my mentor. And I love you all…from my soul. It was through poetry and friends that I found Myself. © November 12, 2010 Dane Smith-Johnsen