Home » Poems » Dean Wood » Why Do I Write

Why Do I Write

I write and I smile, I write and they nod,
And yet, you still ask me why.
I write to tell stories, I write to have fun,
Must I tender a thoughtful reply?

I have been in the grip of the darkness,
Where courage is squeezed from your heart.
Like a python constricting a rodent
It seldom releases its mark!

For now, I am free of this monster
But I feel it, just outside my senses
So I’ve chosen the vantage of poets
No hypocrisy, no guile, no pretenses! 

For a poet sees rainbows on a dark rainy day,
The raw truth is all that’s exacted. 
A poet sees life through the eyes of his God;
White light through a prism refracted!

I write, because out here the sun shines;
Possibilities spread far and wide.
Please, let me bask in the sunshine
Lest I am dragged back inside!


Why Do I Write?
by Dean Wood

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Don Pettinelli

Date: 8/31/2017 6:33:00 PM

I love your poetry, it shows you have talent. I see imagination, good beginnings and endings and like me good use of rhyme. I am still learning something new everyday. I am a sustaining member of the Academy of American Poets. You are now one of my favorite poets on Poetrysoup.

Dean Wood
Date: 9/1/2017 8:46:00 AM

Don, I am flattered. Like you I am learning a lot just by reading others' work. I have tried a lot of new forms. In the end though "To thine own self be true" has won out. There are some forms I am just awkward at.

Andrew Walker

Date: 7/5/2017 11:12:00 PM

I decided to start writing more seriously because I needed an outlet for my racing thoughts. It forces me to organize the train-wreck in my head. The line "A poet sees life through the eyes of his God;" really struck me as it is how I feel. Great job!

Dean Wood
Date: 9/1/2017 8:44:00 AM

Thank you Andrew. It has really helped me. The challenge is to not write about too many dark subjects. I had to quit writing for a while and refocus on lighter material.