From Denny: One of the greatest things about blogging is you can throw it "out there" to see if it fizzles or flashes with people. Do they like it or not? Do they identify with the write? Do they stop and think deeper? Do they benefit in some way? After all, what's the point of writing if people find nothing useful in it for themselves, right?
What's been fun this past year as I've figured out how to market these poems and other posts, is to discover what resonates with people. Every week it seems to be a surprise. Remember, fellow poets, if you don't market your poems how will people even know you wrote something worth reading? You can't always judge the write by yourself or even run it by a writing group. Writing groups seem to swing one way or the other: too much hollow praise or jealous condemnation - never quality critique that is actually useful. Throw it out there for anyone to read and see what happens.
A poem the author loves is often one others don't relate to - or have the time to break down the symbolism to mine the richness. Another poem the author may think is not that noteworthy and, yet, people buzz around it like bees and bears to honey. Who knew? Never try to predict what people will enjoy. The important thing is to offer up the best you can, as often as you can. Besides, in the end, the more you write the more accomplished you get at it.
No matter how good you think you are when you start daily blogging, you will improve. I certainly have and am delighted with my progress back from a three year long journey healing from a car accident. When I started these blogs, and poetry in particular, it was to jog my healing brain back into thinking faster, pushing it to get back to the level it once was. That, and I was concerned my brain just might shut down again like it did after the accident, where I lived in an odd limbo between two worlds for the first nine months after injury, never fully awake. I didn't write at all - or do much artwork for over two years. Definitely not a lot of fun.
But what I did mine from that experience was a lot more spiritual development I found intriguing. After all, if you are unable to function fully in this world, you end up praying and meditating - a lot, mainly as a way to witness what is going on inside as you observe the healing process. It was fascinating watching the brain at work, combing through each body system to make small or large corrections here and there.
That time was also useful to help a lot of people that I may not have had time to assist in their soul journey had I been rocking along with a regular life. No matter the trials, it ends up as all good when you take the time to look over your shoulder to make sense of the journey.
When the car accident happened I chose not to be resentful towards the elderly guy who caused it. Am I terribly wonderful? Not really. Pragmatic spirituality is the name of my living corner. When we hold resentment, grief, sorrow, anger and nurse it for too long, we end up dividing our focus. Sure, worse illnesses can result if negative emotions are held too long and not fully cleared out of your system. That's a given fact. We all know they can cause heart disease and cancer.
The decision I made not to be resentment toward him was to clear the deck of holding negative energy. There was enough on my personal plate and the smart thing was to move ahead and place all my focus upon healing. I even healed of the severe nerve pain doctors told me was not possible. Yeah? Guess who proved them wrong? :) OK, so it's the annoying part of my personality that I enjoy proving naysayers to be wrong. The word "impossible" just does not exist in my thought life and I've never identified with it.
Because I've lived in so many hard places on so many levels, roughed up by many hard life tests, there has been a staggering amount of knowledge and understanding gained. None of us enjoy going through difficult times but I have to admit it sure is nice a lot later down the road when you can clearly view all the benefits!
To that goal, I started encoding my poetry with spiritual truths and understanding for those interested in the same. I try to remember to write on a concrete level at the same time, so others who are not yet ready or have absolutely no interest at all, can still relate to the poem. Sometimes, I win on that front and sometimes I fail miserably. So, I just write yet another poem until I get it right. :)
Here are many of the poems you have enjoyed on The Social Poets. Thank you for all your support! It sure surpassed my expectations!
Oh, and one more thing: To my fellow poets - if you have any of your poems that are written about the same subjects, feel free to send me the web address link to your poem. I'll be glad to add your links to my poems where they are in the same genre, two links per poem. That's my idea of an open-invitation-no-time-limit Blog Carnival. You can email me: warriorspearl@gmail.com. Glad to hear from you!
A year of poetry reviewed to see where I traveled this year, done in poem form:
Life is About Everything
honoring ourselves and finding worth
Honoring Ourselves
The Mystics Arrive
We Are All Sleeping Beauties
Oyez
An Audience of One
It Isnt In Me
Soul Journey
People Trees
Keeping The Peace
What Do You Like to Write? Talk to We! - learning to write from the deepest level of yourself
You Are Worthy Every Day!
Why I Write
orphans and neglected or abandoned children
Angels Left Behind: Orphans of the World
Seasons:
Winter
Snowing The Perfect Balance
Summer
Louisiana Summer Sigh
suicide and depression
Three Endings and One Beginning
survival and disaster
I Wait, poem for Haiti
Weeping Freedom
worry, waiting and praying
Swirling Thoughts
Poetry of Life
The Art of Waiting
memoir writing
Those Funny Memories
Michael Jackson: Talk About My Life
finding balance in your life and creating peace
New Years Reflection: Wine Glass Abyss
Gifts From The Heart, A Christmas Poem
Hunting Our Home
Primordial Dragon
being in love
A Man in Love
Opposites in Love: Night and Day
Loving You
Bitter Romance in the Garden - funny
The Interesting Man - funny
death and grieving
Reflections of That Moment
Rock, My Children
our emotions
They Pull at Your Heartstrings
Eyeing Think Time
angels in our lives
Angel Diaries: Samuel
When The Angels Cry For Us
Angels Bridge
Flinging Dirt
The Long Road
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