The Power of Poetry

"Poetry is a life-cherishing force. For poems are not words, after all, but fires for the cold, ropes let down to the lost, something as necessary as bread in the pockets of the hungry." — Mary Oliver I neither studied, searched for, nor found poetry. Poetry found me as I wandered in the wilderness. It was not a beautiful poem that I read. It was a defining poem that read me. I was angry, disoriented, confused, and lost. In school, I was not fond of poetry. I thought that it was of the abstract. The pen, paper, and typewriter were already friends of mine, but not for writing poetry. Some 15-plus years ago, I wrote a poem that was meant to help save a marriage. My friend and his wife divorced anyway. The power of the pen was too late for them. The second poem I wrote demonstrated to me that poetry is indeed a live and powerful tool. Imaginary words from a dying one brought comfort and embraced the family of the deceased. That poem has led to more than 2000 additional poems. 111822PSCtest, Poetry is a life-cherishing force. Sotto Poet, sponsor. 2P