Writing Poetry Inspired by Everyday Life

I wouldn't call myself a poet in the professional sense of the word. My poetry is never planned; I don't spend hours editing, cutting out, adding, researching, perfecting. When I write poetry, it is usually as a response to something happening in my everyday life - whether that's some mundane daily routine or a strong emotional reaction or an event that moves me. And in that moment, I write a poem in my mind.

An early poem I wrote and shared via social media.

 

It's usually short - a handful of lines - and purposefully vague. That last part is solely because I am a private person by nature. I don't feel the need to explain, in detail, what it is that has made me feel a certain way. I need only recreate the feeling, the thoughts rushing through my head, the response that I had, in order for readers to connect. And that is all raw - there is no official literary effort on my part, only my mind, the words, and the medium through which I can write them down.

I rarely rhyme, and I don't follow any particular rhythm or meter, but I like to write the words that come to me down on paper in a way that flows in my mind. There is a lilt, a tune, to the poetry in my head, and often I try to recreate that in written language through structure and punctuation.

Another piece I shared via social media, also extremely personal in its origin.

 

Sometimes my poetry is literal, and sometimes it is metaphorical, but always - always - it is directly based on my lived experiences, intrinsically linked to my own voice, and is therefore extremely personal to me. Despite that, I feel - and I have been told - that my poetry moves readers who have not had quite the same experiences as I. I believe this is because, despite our vastly differing daily existences, people share emotions and experiences in a more general sense.

I may not be a great poet - I may not have studied, and I may not toil over my poetry for hours and days - but I believe in the emotional power of poetry that makes people think, that leaves an impact on their days or their lives. I do believe that, for me, the best way to connect is through raw glimpses into my own existence and my own mind, and hope that someone out there understands.