Claudia's Poems Along The Way

Poetry, it seems to me is a way of using words in a thought-provoking way. It deals with not just the meaning of words, but a different way of understanding their meaning. Poetry evokes emotion, it stirs the soul, it gives pause for thought. It is intimate and sincere.. I remember when I was in Rome once and we were going to see the Sistine Chapel. To get there you had to go through countless galleries of paintings by the most famous artists the world has ever known. At first, my husband and I were stopping to appreciate each painting. After a while, I think we just hit sensory overload. Pretty soon, we were just running through gallery after gallery saying, "Oh, yeah, another famous painting....move on.". Rushing through a book of poetry would be about like that. You will lose your appreciation for the subtlety of the prose. Poetry should be sipped, like a fine glass of wine. It should be swirled, smelled and tasted to appreciate the fine nuance of the words. I wouldn't recommend reading a book of poetry in one sitting. You would miss so much!. I have been asked where I get my ideas for a poem. The answer is, "All over!" I might see someone at a supermarket or at an amusement park. I am a people watcher and I make-up stories about what these people are about. What are they thinking, what are they doing? What is the story of their life? Some poems are about me and the people in my life.. Take time to smell the flowers in life, read a thought-provoking book or poem, appreciate the passion of youth, because too soon we are looking in the rearview mirror of life thinking, "If only!"